


Donald Ressler - #1

by fairytaleofdust



Category: The Blacklist (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe, F/M, Gen
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-02-01
Updated: 2016-02-17
Packaged: 2018-05-17 13:19:55
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 24
Words: 51,725
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5871160
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/fairytaleofdust/pseuds/fairytaleofdust
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Liz has been cleared of all charges and the Cabal is over. On the day before her return to the FBI, she decides to see and thank each person who has helped her during her time on the run. And one of them will be a mission only compared to a blacklister.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. We need to talk

4 months had passed since her name was cleared. 4 months since she had been declared innocent of the murder of Tom Connolly. Due to his own guilt and association to the cabal, her actions were declared self-defense and national security, and all charges had been dropped. 4 months that she had been living in this stupidly fancy apartment Red got her, only herself and Hudson, her dog. 4 months since she had an honest conversation with Jacob Phelps, and concluded that, despite appreciating all he had done to help her, they would never be Tom and Liz again, and they would be better apart. She had news of him sometimes, happy that he was trying to live legally now. They would have a fond and distance friendship. But what hurt most was the 4 months of dead silence from her partner.

She left him messages, and tried to get his attention at the trial, but he dodged her attempts and disappeared before she could reach to him. Since then, nothing. This morning she woke up to a call from Agent Cooper saying that she was supposed to go in tomorrow for debriefing, as she would finally be reinstated. Things were going back to normal, as she never thought they would. She turned off the phone and while stroking Hudson's head lying on her belly she decided today was the day to make amends. She picked her phone, made a few calls and then got up and went to the bathroom. It would be a long day.

First stop was lunch with Aram. The shy agent met her in front of the restaurant she had chosen and welcomed her with a hug and a wide smile. She was so happy she could finally go back to working with this amazing person, who never stopped believing in her.

"Thank you so much for agreeing to have lunch with me, Aram," she said, after they ordered their meals and the waiter served them water. Aram opened a wide smile and thanked back.

"Agent Keen, Liz, I was so happy with your call. You are going to be reinstated! these are wonderful news, I thought for a moment that we would never work together again."

"So did I, Aram. So did I. Ok, so, you have to put me up to speed with all that's been happening since I was gone. How is the office?"

Aram told her all the gossip and important changes that had happened at the war room, and they spent a long time laughing and remembering the good times. By the end of dessert, she already knew all about Agent Moore's new baby and Agent Taylor's scandalous divorce.

"He found her in bed with another? Poor Paul!" she took a sip of her iced tea while Aram confirmed the information. She felt so lighthearted to be with him, sharing gossip, chit chating as if nothing bad had happened. She felt as if things could really go to normal. Until Aram mentioned the elephant in the room.

"Have you talked to him?" She knew who he was talking about, and her smile immediately changed into a sad frown.

"No. He doesn't want to talk to me."

"Give him time, Liz. It was all too difficult for all of us."

"But it's over! Why won't he talk to me? You're here!" Aram felt how upset she was by the tone of her voice, and could tell that she was about to cry. It was a very hard subject indeed, so he decided to stop poking.

"I'll see if I can talk to him. don't you worry." he promised, and she opened a faint smile. Then, changed the subject.

"So, what about you and Samar, hun?"

"What about me and Agent Navabi?" he disguised his concern by drinking his coke, but could not erase the grin on her face.

"What is it, Agent Keen? Are you crazy?"

"C'mon, Aram. Everybody knows you like her. Have you talked to her yet?" He didn't feel the need to disguise anymore.

"Of course not! I won't! Ever! Samar is very important to me and I don't know what I would do without her friendship."

"Aram! You don't want her friendship!"

"But what if she doesn't feel what I feel? What happens next? I couldn't take this chance!"

"Aram, please, do yourself a favor and tell her. You never know what she might say. You may be wasting time with all this being cautious thing."

He opened a grin, and approached her over the table. "You could take your own advice, you know, Agent Keen," and she rolled her eyes as he laughed.

"It's different."

"Sure it is," he smiled behind his glass as he took another sip, and they ended the conversation as Liz took a deep breath. Aram had to go back to work and she had to go get ready. She was going to have a girl's night out with Samar.

xxxxxxxxxxxxx

They went to a diner and then hit a pub, and had fun as Liz never thought it would be possible with Samar Navabi. All that strong pose went down after a few shots, and the woman was actually fun.

They flirted with some guys and got a few phone numbers they discarted right after, laughing together like two teenagers. Liz mentioned Aram to Samar, and the Iranian woman couldn't disguise a smile while mentioning her partner.

"I don't know, Aram is the cutest thing in the world. We went out for drinks a few times but it was never officially a date, you know? He never asked me."

"Would you say yes if he did?" Liz asked.

"I guess. I would be worried about our professional relationship, you know, but I couldn't say no to him. Imagine saying no to those eyes!" and they both laughed remembering how cute Aram could look when upset.

They ordered more shots and gulped them before hitting the subject.

"He was always worried about you, you know" Samar said. "Every single time, every single hint we got, sighting, new lead, he would stare at the board for hours, looking at your picture, and then calculating every possibility, matching the suspects. He never gave up."

Liz didn't know what to say, so she took a sip from her beer. then she sighed and looked at Samar, disappointed.

"So why won't he talk to me, Samar? It's driving me crazy! Not even a 'welcome back, Keen!' or 'Good to see you, Keen'," she was lowering the tone of her voice to sound like Ressler, and Samar laughed out loud, partially caused by the amount of alcohol in her system.

"I just wanted a sign that he doesn't hate me or think the worst of me, you know?"

"Oh, he doesn't, believe me. When we had to fake your death, because of the bounty, he wasn't at the war room, he was with the presidential comission. We sent him a message but he couldn't see it, right, he was in session. So when the news came on tv he thought it was real. I have a friend who was working security there and he swears he heard screams coming from the bathroom. I think he hit a door, he had bruises on his hand when he came in. I think it took a few minutes for him to look at his phone and realize you weren't dead. And then, when we told him the plan, he admitted he was scared. Aram even gave him a hug, it would've been hilarious if it hadn't been really painful. It was horrible, Liz, to see him everyday, working with the Director, side by side. That man was bold, and he was pushing all of Ressler's buttons. I was everyday afraid he would flip and shoot the man in the head. He was too strong, all to protect you."

Liz felt like crying, but swallowed it. she was feeling a bit tipsy from the shots and that mixed with all the feelings Samar's confessions were making her confused, upset, angry, and finally,determined. She ordered another shot, gulped and then took her coat from the chair.

"Where are you going?" Samar said, surprised. "I'm going to solve this, once and for all. Can you take a cab yourself?" "Yes, sure. don't worry about me." She was heading towards the door when the woman called her attention again. "Liz, be careful. don't go hurting him or yourself in the process, ok?" Liz took a deep breath, and then moved between the people partying towards the door.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

He had fallen asleep in the couch, and woke up startled with the banging on the door. The TV showed a late night sports program with flashes from tonight's games. He took the remote, turned the tv off and stumbled towards the door, trying to shut the noise.

"Okay, okay, I'm coming!"

He wondered who it was at this time of night. Maybe his annoying super, who complained about every little thing? The TV wasn't even loud!

He opened the door and could barely believe what he was seeing. He had to rub his eyes and look again to check if he wasn't dreaming. She didn't wait for a formal invitation, and stormed into his apartment.

"We need to talk!" was all she said, and then sat on his couch, looking determined to only leave that place after they had that dreadful conversation. He took a deep breath, trying to shake off the tiredness while he closed the door, still perplexed. He looked with the corner of his eye to the sofa to make sure it wasn't a hallucination.

"Keen, c'mon, it's late!" he tried to send her off, to no avail. She was sitting put and shook her head. He noticed she was wearing a purple dress and heels, and wondered where she was before coming to his house. A few steps closer and he could see by her reddened cheeks that she had been drinking. Oh, great.

"We're having this conversation, Ressler, whether you want it or not!"

She was determined, and he knew there was no escaping this time. He wasn't really sure why, but ever since she came back and the Cabal was unveiled he had tried to avoid her. He guessed was the feeling of guilt for having to hunt her for all that time she was on the run, or for feeling that somehow she thought he was working against her. He didn't know what she thought of all that had happened, but like a silly stubborn child decided he didn't want to know, and running from her was the smartest move.

"I'm being reinstated tomorrow" she announced the news he already knew. Being Assistant-director of the task force made him part of the decision making, and she would never know, but he was one of the 'yes' votes on the meeting that decided to take her back. Now that Harold Cooper was also back, he would go back to being Special agent, and probably her partner. She touched that matter right after that.

"Will you be my partner? or will you ask to be transfered?" How could she ever think he would ask to be tranfered? Oh, yes, the 4 months of dodging her calls. He mentally slapped himself in the face, and sat on the armchair next to where she was.

"You have to understand, Keen, that we've been through too much, I didn't think you'd want to..." She interrupted him by standing up and getting louder and making wide movements, an effect of the alcohol inside her.

"Me? you didn't think I what, Ressler? I called you several times, damn I humiliated myself with countless messages, did you even bother to listen to them?" Yes, every single one, he didn't even erase them, just kept listening to them.

"You've had absolutelly no consideration for my feelings, what I think, what I've been going through. You were never there for me! don't you dare blame me." Okay, it was late, she was altered, but no way would she say that to his face. He stood up and decided to out all the things he had been bottling up for all this time since he let her go for the first time.

"No consideration? Really? That's what you're going to say to me, Keen? No consideration? I let you go more that I should have, if anyone in the bureau found out what did I'd be fired and probably arrested as accomplice. I kept trying to find you, to keep you safe, but you were always running from me, as if I was the enemy! Hell, you even asked for asylum at the Russian embassy, using your Russian name as if all of that was real! Do you have any idea how hard it was to debunk the Director's affirmations that you were really a sleeper agent? Can you imagine how it was to work side by side with that man, listening to him saying how you were dangerous and should be killed, threatening to put CIA agents and snipers to hunt you down like an animal? How it was for me to see that you chose Reddington's help, and even Tom Keen's help rather than mine! if someone here didn't have any considerations, that was you!" He knew he was being louder that he should be at this time, and expected a knock from the super at any minute, but he didn't care. She was right there in front of him and it was now of never to say all the things he wanted to say. She had no right to invade his house and accuse him of not caring. He probably cared more than anyone.

She had never thought of all the sacrifices he had made to protect her. All the time she was running, she thought he was against her, he didn't believe in her. Samar's revelations were still hard to swallow, as they were going against whatever she had believed before. But now, looking at him bright red with anger and sadness at her accusations, she felt even more guilty than she had been while on the run. "Ress, I... I don't know."

"You have no right to come here and accuse me of not caring when it was I who had to live 5 weeks not knowing where you were, expecting any minute to hear that you had been killed, that I had..." he couldn't finish the sentence. 'That I had failed', he wanted to say, 'That I had lost you.' She could see it in his eyes, though, the hurt and despair of a man who cared for her most of all in the world.

Maybe it was the fact that she missed him so much, or the alcohol blurring her mind, but she didn't stop to think when she just went to him and kissed him on the lips. He was taken by surprise as she deepened the kiss, licking his lips begging for entrance. He took a few seconds to understand what was going on, before responding to the kiss and taking her in with all he had got. He hoisted her up and pushed her against a wall, as she tangled her legs around him and grabbed his hair furiously.

His head was on fire when he noticed the taste of alcohol in her mouth, and that made him stop immediately. she was drunk, it wasn't right. He gently put her down and stopped her. "What? what...?" she asked confused as he stepped away from her, pressing his hands on his face, trying to recover from the heat of that moment.

"You're drunk!" he said, but she shrugged.

"So?"

"We're not doing anything you may regret when you're sober" He was being a gentleman, she thought, and that only made her want him more. She moved towards him, but he halted her with his palm.

"Liz, please, don't."

She could see he was making a whole lotta effort to stop it and stay away from her, so she decided to comply.

"What do you want me to do? do you want me to go?" she was ruffling with her skirt like a 8 year old, looking down, embarrassed. He couldn't hide a smirk at the scene.

"You are in no conditions to go anywhere. Here, take my bed. I was sleeping on the couch, anyway." he showed her to his room, and then closed the door, leaving her alone. Then, he went to the bathroom and threw cold water in his face to see if it would help him think straight. The taste of her mouth still fresh in his, her shape and softness of her skill still in his hands, he was going insane! He went back to the couch and turned the tv back on, trying to be comfortable in his couch, and trying to forget that she was right there in his bed.

She buried her face on his pillow and groaned with shame. Oh. My. God! What had just happened? Part of her wanted to convince him that she wasn't that drunk, but she knew he was right. And, to be fair, she wanted to remember every single bit of that, if it ever happened. She dug through his drawers and found a t-shirt, and changed into it and slip under the covers. The moonlight illuminated her face as a beam of spotlight accusing her. Gosh! what had she done? She turned over and revisited the scene in her mind. She had never felt so sexy, so wanted and so hot before. It had been desperate, longing, and no doubt it would have been a hell of a night. She thought about his responses and considered that maybe it wouldn't be so awkward in the morning. She could even expect things to resume once she was sober.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

She woke up to the smell of food and frowned at the thought that he was making pancakes. A further analysis of the smell cleared that it was eggs and bacon. Thank god! She got out of the bed and stretched, yawning, when her stomach indicated that she was dead hungry. It was a sign of her hangover. Her head wasn't really that bad, but she felt hungry as hell.

She went to the kitchen to find him cooking, an image she never thought she would see. She smiled with the thought of Ressler being all domestic, and then called his attention with a "good morning".

"Hey! are you feeling better?" he sounded happy, positive, and she scowled at that. No way, she was not going to accept him being a morning person. He saw her reaction and laughed. "Don't worry. I'm not always like that. I'm just feeling strangely happy today." he grinned.

"Would it be because you nearly got lucky last night, mister?" they exchanged looks, both knowing they would have to get to that eventually. Luckily she wasn't about to stall. But first, she wanted to do something about that hunger, and attacked the plate with the toast and eggs.

"Hey! it's not ready yet"

"I don't care" she said, mouth full. "I'm hungry".

"That happens when you drink too much without eating."

"Okay, then, mom!" she joked, and he smiled. She swallowed her food and felt better as she washed it with coffee.

She looked at him under the light of the sun that was coming from the window and maybe for the first time noticed how handsome he was, with the bright ginger hair, blue eyes and freckles. A feeling of twist attacked her stomach and she felt like going at him right there and then, dear lord, she could never explain whatever she was feeling. She had never thought of Ressler this way, but maybe all that time away from him awakened something she had no idea was there. It's what they say, Absence makes the heart go fonder.

He looked over confident, and she started to suspect he had a plan. She decided to wait and see where he'd go with that grin.

"So, are you feeling okay?" he asked, leaning on his elbows over the counter, his face inches from hers.

"Yes," she said, suspiciously.

"All sober now?"

"Yep. thinking clear as crystal." He giggled, and she understood where he was going with it, and decided to play along. She leaned over the counter as well, and they were face to face, noses touching, eye to eye.

"Do you have anything to do this morning?" he asked.

"Not really, no. My meeting with Cooper is going to be after lunch. I have the morning all to myself." She could barely breath, and barely hold her laugh. It was all too intense, all too cute. She was loving that.

"Well, I wonder what you could possibly do with this time, you know," he teased, looking down at her mouth and leaning forward, his lips almost brushing hers. He wanted her to make a move. She wanted him to make a move. Damn, they were going to stay at that teasing for hours if no one did anything.

She decided to be the brave one and kissed his lips quickly, making him laugh. Then she went on with the tease.

"Well, I could go for a walk. I could go shopping for clothes. I could go home and take Hudson out. I could clean, I actually need to clean, you know, but..." he didn't allow her to continue, taking her lips into his with intense hunger and desire. She held his head with both hands and kicked the counter between them, wishing she could just tear it down. She climbed up and sat on it, adjusting her legs to be on both sides of him as he pulled her closer, picked her up and took her back into his room.


	2. Back to work

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After they finally talk their differences, Ressler and Liz have a wonderful morning together. So wonderful that they lost track of time.

Liz woke up radiant. The sunlight was warming her bare skin, and she was feeling relaxed and happy. She breathed in deeply while she lazily moved to face the open window. The sun was high up in the sky. Too high. Afternoon high. Wait?

She patted the nightstand until she found the clock and looked at the visor. 11:45. Oh God!

She left the bed on a jump and started looking for her clothes. Then she remembered.

She wasn't in her apartment. The only clothes she had there was a short purple dress and pumps. Dammit!

She jumped on the man who was sleeping beside her, urging him to wake up.

"Ressler! Ress, wake up!" She was shaking him, and he woke up with a growl.

"What? What? Liz? So that's how you wake up? No wonder Tom Keen became an assassin," she slapped him for the stupid joke about her ex-husband, but she had no time for jokes.

"C'mon! 11:50! The meeting! Debriefing! I have no clothes! No time!? My apartment! " she was hyperventilating, sitting on his stomach.

"Hey! Hey! He stroke her arms, trying to calm her down. She was panting, and slowly went back to breathing normally. He grinned.

"Hey!" He said, pulling her close. She smiled and bent down to give him a kiss, but when he started to pull her even closer and deepen the kiss, she started waving her arms again.

"Ress! Ress! The meeting!"

"Hey! Relax! I'm the assistant director! I'll call in and postpone it"

She stopped at what he said and frowned. "Really?"

While she was on the run, Cooper was accused of helping her and was reduced to desk duty on a small office. During this time, Ressler was designated to lead the task force, but she was sure Cooper had come back to his old post now. The wide silly grin on Ressler's face told her he was messing with her.

"Dammit, Donald! I mean it! I can't believe I'll be late for my first day back!"

"Calm down, I live 15 minutes away! We are fine!" He was so calm that it was driving her crazy!

"And I suppose I'll just go in wearing my dress and heels, or maybe one of your t-shirts?"

Oh yes, she didn't have anything to wear, literally.

"That would be interesting", he said, finally getting out of bed. "You know what? There's a clothes shop around the corner, we'll go there and see if they have anything."

She pondered for a few seconds, and then relaxed. Ok, not a bad idea. She put on her dress and looked at herself in the mirror. She did not look respectable. The clock showed 12:02. By 12:15, he already had his suit on, showered, shaved and all, and she hated the fact that men could get ready so fast. She helped him with his tie and joked "So, you're going to "Pretty Woman" me?"

He smirked shily, "If by that you mean buy you a reasonably priced office-acceptable suit, yeah, sure," she laughed, and then kissed him again. They both groaned when they had to stop the kiss to go, and then moved towards the door.

Xxxxx

They arrived at the post office 2 minutes before Cooper called them all for the meeting. Liz was wearing a pair of pants that were to long for her, as she couldn't have them tailored, but at least they covered her party shoes. As she entered the meeting room, Samar signaled for the tag still attached to her new white shirt, and she pulled it quickly.

Reven Wright entered the room as they sat down on their places, and sat between Ressler and Cooper, in front of Liz. She glanced at her partner and smirked as he made faces to her.

The meeting went by like torture, and they avoided looking at each other, or else they would laugh and tease each other like teenagers. They shared with Liz the cases they were working on and Reven Wright explained the new deal with Raymond Reddington and the blacklist now that they were back. Then, it was Ressler's turn to take over, explaining the blacklisters Reddington had given them while on the run, and the processes he had leaded. Liz felt strangely proud of her partner, as he was leading an investigation that had her as one of the suspects.

2 hours later they left the room, and only then did Liz notice how hungry she was. Samar brought her a sandwich from the kitchen, and she felt something like love for her friend.

"Oh god thank you!" She grabbed the sandwich and took a bite off it.

"Figured you didn't have time to eat" Samar said, and raised her eyebrows as a sign that she knew what was going on. Liz rolled her eyes and laughed, as Samar sat on her desk and asked for the details.

The girls were talking and laughing when Ressler entered the room and they immediately stopped.

"Yeah, you stop talking about me," he said, stealing the half eaten sandwich from Liz's hands.

"Hey!" Was all she said as he took a bite off the thing, but then gave it back to her.

"Ok, I'll leave you kids to your thing," said Samar, leaving the room. As soon as the woman closed the door to their office, they both knew they were in trouble. It was going to be so difficult to act professional stuck in a small room together. Liz decided to use that to her advantage and teased, removing her shoes and putting her feet on the table.

"So, is there anything to do around here?"

He tossed a big stack of papers onto her desk, startling her.

"You're bound to paperwork, Keen. Punishment for running from me."

"You do enjoy being the boss, don't ya?"

"You're lucky we're in an open room, this is nothing." They both smirked and exchanged glances, desperate to end the distance between them. She sat up straight and started looking at the papers, and for a while it was possible to act professionally.

They didn't have a hard time dodging the suspicions of the people in the war room. Samar already knew, and Cooper kept closed in his office with Reven Wright and other important people. Aram was completely clueless, even causing Samar to laugh out loud when Ressler was a bit more obvious, and the tech agent just looked confused.

Reddington, on the other hand, was a bit more difficult to dodge. The man had a natural talent to know everything, and the minute he entered the room, he knew.

"Lizzie, you look ravishing today! Is this a new suit?" He started by pointing out her weird unadjusted clothes. "No, it's not the clothes. Not the hair..." She had gone back to her natural brown hair as soon as it was all over, and had it in curls over her shoulders, as it was longer than usual. "Oh, I see." He snapped his fingers, and then turned to Ressler.

"Go one step out of the line, and I'll kill you. And no, I'm not threatening a federal officer, don't even think about it" he left Ressler gasping for words and Liz hidden behind her hands in shame. How could he just know?

"Anyway, kids. I have more important things to do here, such as give you Leon Macken" and he digressed by detailing their new blacklister.

They left the post office late at night with just a few leads on the new case, and when they entered his car she pointed out that she should go home, as Hudson had spent the whole day by himself, and burst out laughing when she turned and saw Donald Ressler, special agent FBI, pouting.

"I said I have to go home, never said you're going to yours" she leaned over and gave him a kiss, happy that the car protected their secret.

"Oh, but you might want to stop by your place to get a change of clothes, we don't want to repeat today's events!"

"Don't worry, I always carry a small bag with clothes in my trunk" he said, proudly.

"oh, smartass, so do I but I didn't have my car with me!"

He smiled and turned, putting the car on drive.


	3. How was it?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The new couple goes to Liz's fancy apartment and she shares a bit of how it was running away with Reddington.

He parked his car in the guest space in her building still awed that it was a thing. They walked through the hall hand in hand laughing as he mocked her for living in such a fancy place. They entered the elevator and went each to one side, and as the heavy steel doors closed, she admired how easy it was to be with him.

She had never though of him like that. When they met, she was married and in love. But so much has happened since then that it wasn't much of a surprise to have these feelings now. They have been through so much. He has been her protector, her friend, her partner, her accomplice, her pain in the ass multiple times. Why not add "lover" and "love" to this list?

They look at each other's eyes and smirk simultaneously as he moved forward and pinned her to the wall of the elevator, his eyes piercing through her eyes as he touches the panel where a red button should be. He frowns when he doesn't find the button, and she laughs while he turns his head and opens his mouth perplexed.

"What do you mean there isn't an emergency break?"

They have a side generator just for the elevators. It never stops. Brand new technology."

"Rubbish" he scorns, and she laughs again, leaning her head against his chest. He ignores the buttons to hug her and kiss her on the back of her head. She puts her head back and looks up at him, and they smile.

"Hey" she says, in a whisper. He chuckles and then leans to kiss her, but the elevator doors open and another person comes in.

The woman is so distracted, talking on her phone that she doesn't even notice either their presence or that they were going up. When the elevator moves again she finally realizes it.

"Is it going up?"

"Yes" Ressler answers, pulling Liz closer. She muffles her laugh on his chest.

"Oh, darn!" The woman goes back to her phone "Honey it will take me another minute I took the wrong elevator" and hungs up as the elevator stops on their floor.

"Oh, look at you two!" The woman had a nasal voice, and kept pointing at them with her long manicured fake nails. "I interrupted something, didn't I? Oh, dear ones, you enjoy this moment, before you start going up the elevator to avoid seeing each other" Liz bit her lip to try not to laugh and Ressler was too much of a cop. "Have a good night, ma'm" he said as he pushed Liz out of the elevator and pressed the lobby button for the woman.

As soon as the doors closed, they burst out laughing. "Oh my god! What was that?"

"The result of not having an emergency break button"

He follows her through the corridor and when she stops in front of the door and starts searching her purse for the keys, he hugs her from behind.

"Ressler!" she moans, as she gives up looking for the keys and gives into his touch, putting her head back on his shoulder, opening access to her neck. After a few kisses he speaks in her ear "Just open the door, Keen"

"So let me look for them" she hisses, and he stops, stepping away from her and cleans his throat, trying to recover. She stuffs her hand into her purse again and finds the keys. "A-ha! Got'em" she celebrates by shaking them in front of her face, then turns to put them into the keyhole.

As she opens the door a loud bark comes reminding them of Hudson, who comes running and jumps on Liz's legs, asking to be petted. She pets him and talks to him in a funny voice, and Ressler can't hold back a laugh.

"What? Are you trying to tell me that you don't break that serious robot cop voice not even with dogs?" He let out a loud laugh.

"Robot cop voice? Is that what you think of me?"

"You can't deny you are a bit too excited with the whole cop pose, hun?"

"You're saying that I am boring, is that it?"

"No. I'm saying that you're serious, and I'd like to see a more laid back side of you"

"I think we've been there, Keen" he scorns, while she goes into the kitchen to refills Hudson's food dish.

"There! Why keep calling me Keen? Aren't we past the formalities?"

"Are you going to call me Donald from now on?"

"I don't know." She teased, swaying towards him "I can call you Donald. Or Donnie."he laughed out loud when he heard the nickname only his mother used. "Please don't." She came close to him and threw her arms around his neck, resting her hands on his hair, twirling the locks with with her fingers, "or I can call you Don." She whispered, her bright blue eyes deep inside his, the sound of her voice roughly whispering his name driving him insane. He pressed his hands against her waist and groaned as he went against his wishes and asked her to show him the house. She took his hands in hers and dragged him through the big apartment.

"Ok, so here's the kitchen, and there on the back there's a small laundry room, but the building has a laundry service."

"Of course it does." he mocked, and she clicked her tongue.

"Here's the living room, there's a room there in the back with an office, a restroom and upstairs is my bedroom suite." She pointed at a small set of steps that took to a kind of mezzanine. He wanted nothing more than carry her up those stairs, but he didn't know if they were there yet in their relationship. Hell, they were in a relationship. A few days ago he was hunting her as a fugitive, now they were in a relationship. And he loved this newfound status. He understood that when he pushed her away after her name had been cleared was because he had no idea how to deal with his new feelings for her, the feelings that had appeared while she was on the run, and he wanted to protect her. It was all a mess, but now it was all back into place. And he was the one in her apartment. Score!

"So, uh, do you want to eat something?" He turned to look at her, and she interrupted his attempt to go PG 13 by devouring his lips. He had no idea she could be so wild, and was loving this new side of hers. He lifted her up and put her sitting on the back of the sofa, not sure he would have time enough to go up the stairs. She untucked his shirt and unbuttoned really fast as he tried to do the same with hers, but failed. What's up with him and buttons today? She removed his shirt and helped by unbuttoning hers, revealing a beautiful black and purple bra. She swung her hair back as he removed the fabric from her shoulders, replacing it with his mouth. He kissed her from shoulder to shoulder, stopping at her throat to feel the vibration of it as she groaned and moaned to his touch.

"Liz, I can't stand it anymore." He said between kisses, and she laughed and pulled his face up to hers. She looked at him for a few seconds, drawing in his features, caressing his forehead as she admired his blue eyes. He was mesmerized by her face under the moonlight coming from the wide glass window in front of them. It seemed like time had stopped when she slowly put her mouth to his, both her eyes open, taking her time to eliminate the few inches between them. As the kiss progressed, she pulled him towards her and they both fell onto the couch, her back landing comfortably on the cushions as he cared not to crush her with his weight. Then she held the back of his head tight in place to keep kissing as he slid his hands downwards to unbuckle his and her pants.

Xxxx

They were lying on the couch, both naked, lit only by the moonlight. She had her head resting on his biceps, and was making circles on his palm with her finger as he kissed her shoulder and caressed her belly. They were both tired, sated. Curiosity made him break the silence.

"How was it, Liz? Can you tell me?"

"What? Are you one of those guys who just need to know?"

He laughed and hid his face in her hair ashamed when he realised how his question sounded.

"That's not what I meant! I mean, how was it to be a fugitive. To be with Red?"

Liz breathed in deeply and turned over to lie on her back next to him. He held her in place as they adjusted to their new position on the small space.

"It was... Weird. And good, at the same time. As strange as this sounds. I was scared, but with him I felt safe. I had to do things I never imagined I'd do, but I don't think I would've done it any differently. Red has this incredible personality and each day with him was a new adventure, and I discovered something new about him. What I learned is that he really cares about me, like no one else, I think."

"Did he tell you why? What your connection is?"

"No. And I don't expect him to tell me anytime soon. I think it scares him, if I knew, it's deeper that we can think. I've decided to give him this time. One day he'll tell me. I think."

"So, you felt safe?"

She chuckled.

"Yeah, I know it sounds impossible to feel safe with Raymond Reddington, but I did. I do. I really trust him. He saved me, he kept me alive. And he cleared my name, like he promised."

Ressler downed his eyes, a bit hurt to remember that in great part of this story he's featured as the anti-hero, hunting them and going against them. Hearing Liz's stories of her time with Reddington was far more interesting that he would've thought, and he noticed he was beginning to respect Red, or at least his affection to Liz. Whatever Red did, legal or illegal, had brought Liz back to him, and took them to that moment.

He wanted to ask her about Tom, too, but thought it would be way too awkward to ask her about her ex-husbands efforts to help her now. Instead, he payed attention to Hudson, who was resting quietly on the armchair across from them.

"He's so quiet and calm over there" he pointed at the dog.

"He must be traumatized after what he saw us do here" they both laughed, and the dog turned his head to the back of the chair.

Liz then surprised him with a kiss on the cheek, honest as a thank you.

"What was that for?"

"Thank you. For what you did for me. I know that in your head you think that you did nothing, or that I think you did nothing, but I know. You let me go in the first place, so you were the first to save me. And then with the Russians, you not only let me go, but nearly caused an international comotion to save me, even though I know you were pissed at me for going to the embassy. I could see it in yor eyes through the gates, you were. And then working with the director. Each day with you leading the search for me was a day that I knew that even if the FBI found me I would be safe, because it was you who would find me."

"Even when you told me to back off?"

She felt sorry for that call. The only time she spoke to him she told him to stay away. It had been unfair.

"I was close to a lead against the cabal, and there you were at arms length. I was nervous! C'mon!" She gently pushed him, and they both giggled.

"But thank you, really. For believing in me, and protecting me on this side."

He looked deep into her eyes, and for what felt like hours they swam inside each other's pool-colored eyes. She opened a smile that made his heart swell, as if there was nothing more beautiful in the entire universe. He leaned and kissed her, slowly, deeply, breathing in each of the emotions and sensations that moment brought them.

Then he kissed her forehead and lodged her head under his. He felt her warm breath in his collarbone as she yawned, and felt tired himself.

"I think it's time you showed me your bedroom, Keen."


	4. Late night visit

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Liz and Ressler get a late night visit that might shake things up.

Ressler woke up starving. They had gone to bed without any food and it was taking its toll on him now. He turned to find Liz sleeping soundly next to him, and stopped for a minute to admire her. She was a beautiful woman, he never had doubted it. And now she was his. All those months barely sleeping, having nightmares of her dead, killed in front of him, finding her lifeless body dumped in an alley somewhere, getting to her too late. It was over now, and she was there with him.

The moment he found her, on the corridor of the post office, minutes after she had been accused of killing the senator, he knew he loved her. Her pleading eyes, desperate, scared, he knew right there at that moment that he would do anything to save her, to keep her alive. and that's why he let her go then. He always knew she had more chances with Reddington, that he was the one that could keep her safe. He needed to find the real guilty ones. but, during the search, his mind was confused by all the information that reached him, the fact that she was stealing, and shooting, and threatening and killing people. That wasn't Liz, and for a moment he doubted his decision to let her go. Now she had said that was the first time someone saved her in all that mess. If they weren't now in her new apartment, her name cleared, maybe he would doubt that.

He took a deep breath as his stomach growled again, and looked at the alarm clock to see that it was 3:40am. The window was open and a light breeze of the night was coming in, making her shiver. He pulled the covers to her shoulder, and kissed her on the cheek before leaving the bed.

He didn't know how she would react if she found out that he was raiding her fridge, but he was too hungry to care. He opened the large refrigerator to find ingredients for a sandwich, and when he turned to search for the bread he found her, grinning, holding the package he was looking for.

"Busted" she said, and he looked down embarrassed, but laughing. She put the bread on the counter and laughed too as she aproached it and sat down on the stool.

"I'm sorry, Keen. I was just too hungry"

"Don't be silly, it's no problem at all. I'm just hurt you didn't call me"

"you were sleeping!" He tried to defend himself.

"But I'm hungry too! Make me a sandwich? Please?" She batted her eyelashes and he chuckled lightly as he took four slices of bread and prepared the sandwiches. She went to the fridge and took a jar of pink lemonade, and then poured it onto two glasses.

They ate their sandwiches in silence, and then she took a pack of cookies from the pantry and guided him to the living room. They sat side by side on the sofa and she took a blanket to cover them. Hudson woke up and came to sit next to her, putting his head and paw on her thigh as they ate the cookies. She had her head gently resting on his shoulder and he had his arm around her back.

"I like this" she said, covering her mouth with her hands as a few crumbles of cookie escaped as she spoke. He breathed in and smiled. "Me too."

They were surprised by a light knock on the door, and they looked at each other as she stood up and walked towards it, and he went behind her, ready to attack if it was someone dangerous. She looked into the peephole and then turned to give him a reassuring look.

"It's okay. It's Tom". A while ago he would never consider Tom being in her house something okay. He had been really close as she discovered little by little the truth about her ex-husband, and knew how much it had hurt her. But now, considering that he got Karakurt to confess his crimes, exonerating her guilt, he had to assume she had forgiven Tom, and would have a relationship with him, possibly. He never thought that he would have the liberty to come to her house in the middle of the night. When she opened the door, confused, he noticed that maybe the man didn't have it.

"Tom? what are you doing here?"

"Liz! please, I need to talk to you." Ressler was listening from behind, hidden from the light of the corridor, so Tom didn't see him there. "I tried, Liz, I swear I did, but I can't. I just can't stay away from you. You have to give me one more chance."

She just stood there, holding the door, startled, trying to process what was going on. She couldn't deny that sometimes she had thought about her ex-husband and what would've been, but now things were different, and she knew that.

Ressler didn't know what to do. He wondered if he should go pick up his things and give them privacy, or if he should reveal himself to the man and claim her. He stood there out of sight waiting for her reaction, but afraid. He knew that Tom still meant a lot to Liz, specially for the risks he had taken to find Karakurt, and was now thinking what he would do if she asked for time to consider. It would crush him, no doubt. 5 minutes ago they were eating cookies holding each other in the middle of the night, and now he might be taken out of the picture. his stomach turned.

Tom..." she whispered, feeling sorry for the man clearly drunk humiliating himself in front of her. After she was exonerated, they went on his boat for a weekend and in this weekend they had a long and understanding conversation, where she tried to make clear that, although she was thankful for him, and didn't hold any grudges, she couldn't stay with him. she didn't love Jacob, she had loved Tom, a Tom that would never exist even if he changed his name, which he did. She didn't think at the moment, but most of her decision was based on the love she felt now for Donald, as she hadn't yet talked to her partner, but felt a deep sorrow because of that.

Now, he was here, 4 months after leaving on his boat to Australia. She thought he was having a nice live there, he even mentioned a girl in one of his emails. What happened?

"Why are you doing this, Tom? What about your life in Sydney? What about Jenny?"

Tom hiccuped and pressed his thumbs on his forehead as the alcohol had a bad effect on him. He wasn't thinking straight, she knew that.

"I couldn't. Jenny was great, but she wasn't you. Please, Liz, give me one more chance, I beg!" he made as if he was going to enter the apartment, and she stoped him with the door at the same time she reached her hand to call for Ressler. he took a few seconds to understand that she wanted him next to her, and she had to turn her head to make him understand. He took a step forward and tangled his fingers on hers, revealing himself to Tom.

"Oh... oh" Tom said, taking in the new information, observing the new couple in front of him. He immediately excused himself, tumbling as he made his way towards the elevators. Liz looked at Donald worried, tears gathering in her eyes.

"Tom, stop." Ressler said, going towards the man and grabbing his shoulders. "Come on in. Liz will make you some coffee and I'll get dressed to take you home." Tom looked at his rival with swollen red eyes, both for crying and the booze. Ressler took a deep breath and guided the man towards the apartment, and as Liz opened the door to welcome them in, she mouthed a 'thank you'. He kissed her nose lightly and kept pushing Tom towards the sofa, where he sat and Hudson imediatelly sat next to his former owner.

"Hey, buddy!" Tom petted the dog, his stomach turning as the drinks were coming back. "Liz? bathroom?" she pointed at the door to the restroom, and he ran there to vomit.

With the room to themselves, Liz ran to Ressler and started apologizing, her eyes beginning to cry.

"Oh my God, Ress, I have no idea, I don't know why he's here, I'm sorry, I swear..." he interrupted her with a kiss, and stroke her arms to calm her down. she kept whispering 'sorry' as he took her in an embrace, peeking over her head to see if Tom was okay.

"I'll go upstairs and get dressed, okay, and then I'll take him home. don't worry, it's okay. I'll be back after."

"Promise?" she whispered, concerned.

"Yeah, sure!" he kissed her eyes, feeling the salty taste of her tears. she went to the kitchen to prepare some coffe as he went up the stairs to get dressed. As he found his clothes lying on a armchair next to her bed, where they left them when they got up the couch to come to bed, he heard the conversation that was going on downstairs.

"So, how long has this been happening?" Tom said.

"Since two days ago," she confessed, and then whispered 'here' as she handed him a cup of steaming coffee. he took a sip and immediately growled

"Uh, this is horrible!"

"you need it strong and no sugar, Tom"

"yec" he complained, and kept drinking the beverage. a few seconds later Ressler heard the cling of the cup being laid on the coffee table, and the conversation resumed.

"Do you love him?" Tom was straightforward, and Ressler stoped to listen to her answer. He didn't expect her to say yes, as everything was still too new for them, but he was curious as the subject came up.

She looked up and noticed that he was making an effort to look as if he wasn't listening, but he had stopped to hear after the question. She sighed and sat next to Tom.

"Yes, I guess. I don't know, Tom, it's too recent. But I love him as my partner, I respect him as the man he is and what he means to me. I do believe I may love him even more than I loved you, though." Tom sighed, looking down. Ressler couldn't hide a smile as he heard her words, agreeing to each of them. He had loved only once, Audrey, but had a feeling that he would love once more, and love even more than he could ever imagine possible.

"You have to understand that what I told you on your boat that day I meant it, and I can't go back. I'm sorry, Tom. I don't mean to hurt you!"

He took her hands on his and looked at her deep into her eyes. The sight of his green eyes took her breath for a while, all the memories coming back to her and he smiled faintly.

"After all I did to you, Liz, it surprises me that you are good enough to say that you don't mean to hurt me. Thank you for allowing me to have that." he looked over her shoulder to find a fully dressed Ressler approaching them.

"Let's go, big guy. We need to have a serious conversation." and he stood up from the couch, turned to pet Hudson one more time before going to the door.

"I'll come back, later, ok?" Ressler said as Liz approached him, her hands on his chest.

"You better!" she said, sound muffled on his shirt. he kissed her on the forehead and moved to follow the man.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Tom was still growling with pain and disgust on the seat next to him.

"Don't vomit in my car, you hear?" Ressler said, as he clicked the button on his side that opened the opposite window. a strong wind came into the car and hit Tom in the face, and he welcomed the cold feeling, that helped relieve the nausea.

"Never again, man, don't ever mix vodka and whisky and beer and sadness"

"What happened to you?"

"I got dumped. twice." Tom sat straight on the seat and looked forward as he shared his story. "First I got dumped by Liz. We spent two days on my boat, two days that I thought were going to become forever as I really believed she was going to stay with me. and then she hit me in the gut with the "I'm sorry, I can't." I understand, man, I was stupid to think that me finding Karakurt was enough to erase what I did to her. It wasn't. I just thought..."

They stayed in silence, Ressler keeping to himself the opinion that absolutely nothing he did would be able to erase what he had done to Liz. he was right there next to her when it all happened, and he knew.

"Anyway" Tom continued. "I went away on my boat, went to Australia, and settled there when I got a job, a decent job in a bar, and a girl. Jenny, her name was. We had fun, for 3 months and I thought I could fall in love with her. But for her that was all that was. fun. The moment I hinted I could want something more serious, she bolted. Then I don't know what came on to me. I sold my boat and came back to the USA. and tonight I had too much to drink and did something stupid. I never really thought Liz would ever take me back. It was the drinking." he admited, as the effects of the alcohol were slowly leaving him after he vomited, the coffee and the wind on his face. He turned to look at Ressler. "You'll be good for her. It's the right thing to happen. I'm pleased it's you"

"Oh yeah? So no punching me in the face?"

"No man, so what? You come back to her with a black eye and she comes to give me a black eye for it. I know that woman. She chose you. I won't go against that. it's her decision"

"That it is" Ressler agreed.

They remained in silence for the rest of the trip, and Ressler dropped him off in front of the reception desk of the hotel Tom was staying. The man left the car and shut the door behind him, turning back and leaning to look at him from the open window.

"All you need to know is that if you hurt her, you're in big trouble. I bet if Reddington knows, and he probably does, he already made himself clear on what would happen to you. Be aware that after he's done with you, it will be my turn."

"I won't hurt her" Ressler affirmed.

"I know you won't." Tom winked and then walked slowly, still a bit tipsy, towards the door.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

She ran to the door as she heard the lights turning on in the corridor, a sign that someone was coming out of the elevator. she opened the door and found him coming back, looking tired and stern. She jumped onto him and kissed him, not giving time for him to say or do anything else. He pinned her against the wall beside her door, waving her hair back as he kissed her neck. She bit his ear and tugged at his hair, gasping for air as his hands moved to her thigh, pressing it slighly as she raised it to envelop him, and going under the tshirt she was wearing.

They found each other's eyes and took a moment from the frenzy of the scene to breathe, as she put her foot back on the floor and took his hands to guide him back to her apartment.

The moment they closed the door, they went back to what they were doing, and she jumped and envolved him with her legs as they kissed, and he carried her up the stairs back to her bed. clothes flew everywhere as they kept kissing each and every inch of one another. Sitting on the bed, one in front of the other, legs tangled, she grabbed his head and whispered in his ear, between light kisses."I chose you"

He stopped her and pushed her lightly so they could look at each other, and looking at her confused eyes he said it, not caring it it was too soon, of it she would take it the wrong way.

"I love you, Liz" she breathed in and opened her mouth a bit, taking in that information. He stood there not knowing what to say or do, just waiting for her reaction. she leaned and kissed him lightly, framing his head with her hands, and then said it too.

"I love you too." and kissed him again, as he put his arms around her taking her as close as he can, as they fell onto the bed.


	5. Bella Notte

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Liz and Ressler have their first official date.

They woke up reluctantly as her alarm clock beeped at 6:30. Ressler growled and pulled her in close after she pressed the snooze button.

"Time to wake up"

"Just five more minutes"

"yeah, and then we're late again" she laughed and kissed him on the nose, but then complied and tangled herself in him, resting her head on his chest and sleeping again.

When the alarm clock beeped again 10 minutes later they knew that they had to get up. She sighed and fought to get out of his grip, as he wouldn't let go. She laughed as he won the fight with a kiss, and they stayed for 10 more minutes giving in to slow kisses and touches and glances, until they knew that either they got up and came back to reality, or they would stay in it forever.

"C'mon, babe! I'll go make breakfast. you can take a shower"

"Come with me" He complained as she left the bed. He smiled at the sight of her walking about the room naked in search of her silk robe, and then sat back on the bed, watching her go.

"No. We don't have time. c'mon!" she was bossy, and he laughed at her orders, imagining to live like this forever. "Besides, I have a feeling that you will want to be alone with the shower. believe me" he frowned curious at her remark, and stood up, moving slowly towards the bathroom.

When he got there he found something strange, that didn't resemble a shower at all. there was a square thing on top, and then about 8 jets down the walls. He entered in the box and turned the register to find heaven. a strong jet of water hit him all over his body from the jets on the wall, and on top of his head the square thing was the actual shower, and t he water fell like raindrops, warm and steamy.

"Oh my God!' he screamed, and she laughed on the kitchen, listening to his screams of awe in the shower. "What is this thing?"

15 minutes later, and he entered the kitchen to find a full set breakfast ready, with eggs, bacon, fruits and toast. She handed him a cup of coffee.

"So, did you like it?"

"I think I'm in love" he joked, and she squinted.

"Oh, good to know I introduced you to your love, my shower!" He laughed.

"I would never mean the shower!" he said, jokingly, and then bent down to kiss her. "Of course I mean you. The fact that I will come back here often clearly has to do with you and not your amazing shower." She rolled her eyes.

"But now, seriously, what is that thing? I wonder what Red meant by putting that in your bathroom."

She looked at him with puzzling eyes, and he smirked before explaining.

"There's a whole conversation running around the bureau concerning his interest in you. Is he you father? Like a father figure? In love with you? those are the strongest suppositions"

"Oh, jesus really? Red in love with me? that's impossible."

"Nothing is impossible with Reddington, Liz, you of all people should know that" She nodded in agreement as she ate a raspberry.

"Anyway, I don't want to taint the wonder of that shower by picturing you with Red in there. I want to know when we are going to use it together?" She smirked, thinking that there was nothing else she wanted to do right now. But she was realistic enough to know that if she had gone in there with him now, they wouldn't even bother going to the office. She finished eating and then left to take a quick shower.

"Is it possible?"

"It is if you turn off the side jets"

"Why on earth would you do that?"

He stayed in the kitchen and had another cup of coffee, while filling Hudson's bowl and organizing everything while she got dressed.

This time she was wearing one of her pantsuits, and it fit perfectly. she had a loose seethrough shirt with a tanktop underneath, and he always loved how that looks on her. Now, he could say it.

"I love it when you wear these shirts."

"really?" she smiled, surprised to know that he used to notice her clothes before.

"I love it even more when you're not wearing them, but..."

She opened her arms to welcome him and they kissed once more before both their phones started buzzing.

"See. work." she pulled it to see it was Samar, and his said "aram" on the screen. They answered it simultaneously.

"Ressler?"

"Hey, Samar, what is it?"

They both spoke to their colleagues for a minute and then hung up.

"They need us immediately. apparently Red has more information on the blacklister."

"yeah, Samar told me. By the way, she asked if I knew where you were." her smile was big and she chuckled, her eyes glistening.

"Aram asked me about you too. Told him I had no idea where you were" His eyes met hers, and they were sparkling too. They looked like two teenagers with a secret.

"Let's go! bye, Hud!" she said and grabbed her purse, and he put an arm around her as they walked towards the door, giving her a kiss on the top of her head.

XXXXXXXX

They decided to go on separate cars, as he had to go home tonight. On the way to the post office, she didn't resist and called him. He answered on speaker.

"Ressler?" he answered the phone firmly.

"What do you mean people say Red is in love with me?" She didn't even bother telling it was her. He already knew. and she was too curious.

He laughed. "I mean people actually say that. I don't know, it's all a mystery, since day one he demands you, but never explains why. Has he ever told you anything?"

"I have my theories" she remembered when she started to recollect what happened the night of the fire, when she shot what seemed to be her father and remembered that Red was there, but there wasn't much more to go on. Red didn't tell her more than that, but she understood why he cared for her, and after her time on the run, she had a long list of proof that he was real when he said he would protect her with his life. But love? she never thought about that.

"Why are you so curious? Are you considering it, yourself?" Ressler teased, a smirk on his lips, but truthfully he was scared she would ever comply to those rumors. He had no idea what had happened while they were running together, and how strong their relationship was. He could only observe and expect that her feeling for him were stronger.

"Of course not!" she squeaked, and he couldn't help sighing in relief. "Specially after what happened last night, I don't think there's any chance for Red."

"Good to hear that" he confessed, and she smiled, thinking that he was too cute for his own good. She still found amazing the Ressler she was discovering as his layers came down to her. He seemed really worried to lose her, scared, helpless. It only made her love him more.

"I think I might ask him, though"

"NO!" he screamed, wondering what Red would do if he found out there was a rumour saying he is in love with Liz. "He's gonna kill someone, whether it's true or not!"

"I don't think it's true. He threatened you, but it was nothing more than I would expect him to say. It didn't seem like jealousy, right?"

"I know, Liz. It's just a rumour" he said, but she couldn't take it from her head. What if Red was really in love with her? what would she do? she cared for Red, but not like this. She was in love with Ressler.

"okay. see you in a bit." she turned off the call as they both turned to enter the parking lot of the facility, with a distance of two cars. they parked in opposite sides of the lot, and then met at the elevator.

When they left the elevator to the war room, Aram, Samar and Cooper where there waiting for them.

"So, you didn't know where he was, hun?" Samar teased, a grin on her face.

"Coincidence, we arrived at the same time! who could've known!" Liz said, her eyes glistening to her friend.

XXXXX

They had a long day chasing leads and intervieweing suspects until they finally caught Leon Macken. at the end of the day, after all reports were written and filed, The team decided to go out for drinks. But Ressler had other plans.

"Hey, everybody is going down at the pub. what do you think?" she said, entering their office so distracted she didn't even noticed he had closed the blinds. she goes to her desk and is shuffling through papers when he grabs her arm to turn her around and catches her in a kiss.

"Are you crazy? Cooper will see!" she whispers, muffled by his lips.

"Haven't kiss you all day. it was driving me crazy." he said, and she smiles before kissing him again.

"So...pub? the guys are waiting."

"I think we're going to pass. I Thought we could do something else."

"What do you mean?" she looked at him quizzically, fixing a lock of his hair that had fallen out of place.

"you are going home, and you are gonna put on a beautiful dress, because I'll pick you up at 8."

"are we going on a date?" she opened a smile, her eyes sparkling blue.

"I figured we should" he shruged.

"Where are you going to take me?" to what he just gave her a kiss on the cheek and went back to his desk to get his jacket and briefcase.

"Pick you up at 8." he repeated, and then left her alone in the room.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

She looked at the watch and noticed it was 6:30. She would take about 20 minutes to get home. Oh my God! it's not eno ugh time! She grabbed her things and ran home, barely able to explain to Samar that they wouldn't be joining them for drinks.

She got to her car and had to stop to breathe. She was actually nervous, as if it was her first date. Dear Lord, Liz, you woke up with him, twice! But that wasn't an excuse not to feel butterflies in her stomach with this. Sex was one thing, a date meant a lot more. Meant that the vows they shared last night were real.

She ran home and nearly tripped over Hudson as the dog was laying in front of the door. She appologized to him and then went straight to the shower.

She forgot to turn off the side jets, and the water hit her as a surprise. She remembered his comments about it this morning and dreamed about having him there with her. She closed her eyes and revived every single thing they had lived the last couple of days. From their first heated kiss to his acts of chivalry when he refused to have sex with her as she was drunk, or taking Tom home, to the way he looked at her when they said I love you, and their teasing at the post office. She felt so in love, as she thought she would never feel again.

When she was accused of killing the senator and exploding the OREA offices, she truly believed that even if she wasn't guilty of all those things, she had to do things while on the run that proved she wasn't worth anything good anymore. When she came back, and her name was cleared, the fact that her partner kept his distance made her even more sure of that. "Bastard!" She whispered, smilling silly as she lathered her head with shampoo.

She let the water comfort her body a little bit more when she realized that she had little time until he arrived, and got out of the shower.

She turned on the radio and went to her closet. A few minutes rummaging through her dresses to conclude that she had nothing to wear. She puffed disappointed at a few options she laid on her bed. A black tight dress, a blue frolic one and a polka-dotted vintage dress that she had never worn before. She had spent more than she should have on that dress, and Tom complained, so she never wore it for him. Time went by, and she just forgot about it. But now, it seemed perfect.

She picked it up and put it on, looking at herself in the mirror. Her hair was in a messy bun but she liked the way her hair up valued the dress, bringing more attention to the beautiful square cleavage and how it opened on her shoulders. She decided to put it up and went to her dresser to pick up a brush and tie it. She turned it into a bun like she had seen it before in one of those hair tutorial videos on youtube and held it with golden hair clips. A few locks escaped and she twirled them so they would frame her face.

Although it was night, she put on a light make up, the way she liked it, and she made use of a powerful red lipstick. She looked like a 50's film star.

She chose black high heeled mary janes to go with the dress, and a small handbag. As she was splashing some perfume on her neck, he rang the door bell. She was impressed by her rapidity when she glanced at the clock and saw that it was 8:15. He gave her 15 extra minutes.

She took a deep breath as she opened the door, and smiled as he looked at her, baffled.

She was the most beautiful thing he had ever seen. He had never seen her like this, all dressed up, they went straight from work clothes to nothing at all, and he was thankful for having the idea of the date. He meant to greet her, but only a weird stammer came out, making her laugh and blush.

"What do you think?"

"Phew" he whistled, "you know, I always wanted to feel what was like to walk in with the most beautiful woman in the room. Thank you!"

She blushed even more, and he gave her the arm to scort her out.

"Shall we?"

Xxxx

He chose a small Italian cantina, as it was fancy and also cosy enough, with good value for food, as the Italians would never put a minute quantity of weird food on a plate and call it a meal.

The place was lovely and rustic. There were some paintings of places in Italy decorating the walls, and the tables were made of wood, with a red and white checkered tablecloth, and a candle on them.

The sat on a booth, side by side, and although Liz would always make fun of those couples who sat side by side in restaurants, she was happy to sit like this tonight. She felt his warmth throughout the night, and he kept his arm around her for most of the it.

They ate a lot, from antepastos to a delicious bruschetta with cheese and garlic (she only noticed she had ordered garlic after the waiter was far away, but he said he didn't mind, and they started a whole conversation on how those small things shouldn't be a problem in a relationship).

"You know, it's natural for a person to wake up with a bad breath, it happens, what are you going to do, get up 5 minutes before to brush your teeth?"

"Some women do that" she commented, sipping on her red wine.

"If you ever feel you need to do that, Liz, I'll not kiss you for the whole day"

She smiled at the thought of how simple and current that sounded. "really? A whole day? How would you manage?"

She batted her eyelashes and came closer to him, putting her red lips really close to his. He didn't resist, And kissed them.

"Don't you ever do that!" He complained, and they both laughed.

They had a great night drinking and laughing and sharing personal stories. She told him of her time in college, how she and her friends once went crazy and drank too much and ended up in canada one spring break, and he told her of his family. It dawned on her how little she knew about him when he told her about his 2 brothers, and how his parents moved to Florida a few years ago and he hates it there.

They only stopped talking when the main meal arrived, a large plate of spaghetti and meatballs and it was fantastic.

The restaurant 's band was playing for the tables and although Ressler was muttering under his breath for them not to stop by them, they did, and they started playing a romantic italian tune. Liz smiled shyly as she recognized the tune to be the romantic song in "Lady and the tramp", and she took a spaghetti string and held it to him, putting the other end on her mouth and both of them sucked it until their lips met and the entire restaurant applauded. she laughed and hid her face inside his coat, while he thanked the applause and the band for the serenade.

They left the restaurant and the night was so pleasant that he invited her for a walk.

They ended up at the Lincoln Memorial, and it was peaceful as it was late, and there were only a few tourists taking pictures. They sat on the steps that lead to the statue, and observed as the moon and the Washington monument were reflected on the pool in front of them. He put his arm around her and she draw in close, resting her head on his shoulder, her legs turned towards him.

"This was the best date ever" she said, breathing on his neck, and giving it small kisses. He reached his hand to cup her chin and held it up until she faced him, and gave her a deep and passionate kiss. Then he looked at her in silence, observing and memorizing each detail of her face, before saying it.

"I love you, Liz, and I will never, ever let you down. May Lincoln be my witness" he motioned towards the monument behind them, and she chuckled. "I know that you've been through enough, so I want to make sure that you are happy from now on. Are you happy?"

"I'm happy" she smiled, and pulled his coat to bring him closer for a kiss, and they stood there enjoying each other's company for almost 1 hour before they motioned to go home.

He drove her home, but said he wasn't going up. "How do you expect me to sleep without you after this night?" She complained, but he just laughed and kissed her.

"It's our first date, and you don't sleep with guys on first dates, do you?" She scowled. There was nothing more he wanted than to go with her and spend the night one more time, but he was scared it was going too fast. If they started sleeping together every night after 3 days of relationship, what's to say it won't go cold just as fast?

"Goodnight, Liz, see you tomorrow" he said, and she left the car pouting. She understood what he meant, but she was more emotional than rational, so to her mind it made absolutely no sense.

She went up to her apartment to find it empty, cold and boring. Damn, why be controlled and rational when you can be wildly in love as she was. She changed out of her dress and lay in bed, holding close the pillow that still had a little bit of his scent. God, she missed him.

His apartment was just as cold and lifeless. He started to regret his decision the moment she left the car, and now, alone in his bedroom, his only wishes was to get up, drive to her apartment and all caution and taking it slow be damned.

He controlled his impulses by tossing and turning in bed, and when he got to the conclusion that he wasn't gonna be able to sleep, he stood up, put on an old quantico jumpsuit, grabbed his keys and went straight to the door. When he opened it, there she was, about to knock, wearing just a long wool sweater and slippers. They looked at each other and immediately understood.

"I missed you" they said in unison, and kissed.


	6. Undercover Mission

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> They have been a successful couple for 6 months, but what happens when one of them has to go undercover?

6 months later, and they were the star couple of the task-force. They were only able to hide it from Cooper for 1 month, and after a very awkward conversation with the director of the task force they were able to settle to a good way to balance professional and personal lives.

There was no doubt there were good partners together, and in these 6 months they were able to solve more than 12 of Red's blacklisters. The bureau was very pleased with their service, so it was only fair to let them be a couple in peace.

And they did, until they sent Ressler to a undercover mission that took 2 weeks. 2 whole weeks of him infiltrated in a deep cover operation, so they couldn't even talk on the phone. His contact with the agency was through signs and coded messages on a dumpster, there was no room for love letters. For two weeks, he was away. And she had a hint of what he must have suffered while she was on the run. it felt horrible.

He had just sent a message checking in on the start of a third Monday when she entered the war room, and they all looked at her. For a moment, her whole body froze interpreting the looks as something bad, but Aram rushed to relieve her "Oh, don't worry, he just checked in. It's just that he thinks it may take longer than we thought. there's a shipment coming in, but it will take two more weeks."

She sighed deeply, both of relief and disappointment, as she thanked Aram and went to their room. It was a dark cold room now, and his desk empty brought tears to her eyes. She wanted so much to think straight, to be professional and understand that it would soon be over, but she couldn't help thinking he might get discovered, and killed. killed. oh my god. she started sobbing for no reason, and the more she tried to stop crying, the more she cried. Samar entered the room and she wiped her face, desperate, trying to stop.

"Liz, we have to... Oh, dear. what's wrong?" Her friend held her as she leaned against the desk, making a lot of effort not to crumble on the floor. she was panting, scared, and also trying to control herself.

"Oh, God, Samar, I'm sorry, I... I don't know..."

"He'll be okay, Liz"

"I know.. I K..know!It's just... Oh..." Samar put her arms around Liz, trying to comfort her as she cried over her shoulder. A few minutes later she was able to control herself, and quieted down.

"This is exactly what Cooper made us promise wouldn't happen." she shared with Samar and Aram, who had brought her a glass of water. I don't know what came to me. I got so scared."

"It was a panic attack, Liz" Aram said, really sure of himself that he surprised Liz. "I have them too, sometimes." and he glanced towards Samar, who responded the look with a faint smile. Liz smirked, pensive, and then it clicked.

"Oh my god!" she jumped, and then pointed. "you... you two?" she whispered, looking around to see if someone was paying attention to them.

"Shh" Samar said, and slapped Aram's hand lightly. He replied by giving her hand a little squeeze. Liz was still baffled, covering her open mouth with both her hands. "How could we never see it?"

"Well, it isn't too difficult to see, if we depended on this one" Samar pointed to Aram, "but I'm good at keeping secrets, so even with his obvious signs, no one would believe something was going on. people say he has an infatuation for me. No harm there."

"Well, thank you for calling me incompetent."

"You are, sweetie, just face it"

Liz was smiling, impressed by the lovely exchange in front of her. In times of difficulties in her love life, it felt good to see someone she cared about happy in theirs.

She was interrupted by her phone buzzing in her pocket. she took it out and saw the inscription on the screen "Nick's pizza". Her friends looked at her, puzzled too. What could he want now?

"Hello?"

"Lizzie! are you alone?"

"Not really, no." she looked at Aram and Samar, who were paying attention.

"I need you to come down here, sweetie. Don't alert anyone, it's not FBI business. It anyone asks, tell them I asked for your help with the furniture for my new house."

She opened her mouth to reply, but it was already too late as he immediately hung up.

"He needs me to... uh... help him with his new house." she said, using the ridiculous lie he told her to tell. Obviously, Samar and Aram didn't buy it.

"Does it have anything to do with Hawkes?" asked Samar "about Ressler?"

Liz looked at her, concerned now. Why would he call her, saying it's not official business, if it were about Ressler? "I don't know, but I'll figure it out" she took her coat and purse from the desk and left.

xxxxxxxxxxxxx

She entered Red's new house and was impressed by the grandiosity of the construction. It wasn't a big house, but it was big enough for Red and his ego. And also Dembe. It had a porch on the back yard, and Red was sitting there on a rocking chair, smoking a cigarette and enjoying the sun.

"Lizzie! so glad you came. please, sit, sit. Jonah, please bring refreshments to my Lizzie, will ya?" he said to a young man dressed as a butler, and she imagined she would be seeing a lot more of Jonah in the future. She rolled her eyes.

"A butler, Red, really?"

"there are some privileges in life you just accept, my dear. Thank you, Jonah" he thanked as the man put a glass with Lizzie's favorite drink, pink lemonade, on the table in front of her. "you can go now, my dear". and the man excused himself with an exaggerated bow.

"Jonah is from Syria, I helped him and his family escape and he just begged to serve me in anyway. I just figured that with the new house I would need someone, so I gave him the job. I pay him a good wage, just so you know."

She smiled behind her glass as she drank it. "Why did you call me here, Red, if it's not official business? Is it Ressler? Did something happen to him?" she was sitting on the edge of the sit, nervous, and he put his hand on her arm to calm her down.

"Absolutely not, dear. On the contrary, I called you here to tell you that you can expect Agent Ressler to return at any moment now."

"But he said it would take about 2 more weeks!" she squealed, surprised. Red had a smirk on his lips, indicating that something wicked was going on. "What?"

"Unfortunately Agent Ressler had to bend the law a little to solve my problem and end with the biggest problem that was Jeoffey Hawkes organization. He's wrapping it up right now, and will meet you at the hangar. I'll borrow you two my plane, to take you to wherever you want."

"what? bend.. the.. what? what did you make him do?" she frowned, suspecting Red had forced Ressler to do something weird. "He'll tell you more about it later. Now, I've decided that you two deserve a break after these two weeks of him gone. That's why I have arranged this little vacation for you."

Dembe arrived at the house with a suitcase with her stuff. She gasped and sighed imagining the man going through her clothes to pack her a bag, but it was just Red's way.

"Why are you doing this?" she scorned, balancing her head.

"My dear, I see how happy this man makes you. Thank goodness, he makes you even happier than you were with Tom, and that frankly makes me really relieved. I always disapproved Tom, you know that, and for a moment there when we were on the run I feared you would forgive that man. But thankfully you fell into Ressler's arms, and that has been really good for you both. Now, it's my fault he had to go undercover and I could also observe the effect it had on you. So I'm making amends. Now enough with the questions, ok? take the suitcase and go with Dembe."

"Anywhere I want?" she squinted, smiling.

"Anywhere. just tell the pilot." he replied with an open smile that she loved to see.

"What about the FBI? two weeks? how are you going to explain my absence?"

"Don't worry about Harold, Lizzie, I'll take care of him. Now go, your man awaits you."

She smiled, and kissed Red on the cheek before standing up and going with Dembe.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

They arrived at the hangar and she was so excited to enter the plane that she made Dembe laugh as she carried her bag.

"But did you get my brush? and my make-up case, what about my nightgown, or pajamas?"

"Elizabeth! Elizabeth! I took what is necessary for a day. You'll have money to buy whatever else you need, Red made sure of that."

"Of course he did" she said, as she kissed the man on the cheek, and entered the plane, to find it empty. She turned to look at him, nervous.

"Don't worry. just wait." and he left her there, sitting on the comfortable seats in Red's plane.

She waited for 2 hours alone, sipping on the wine available at the bar, munching on peanuts and just too nervous. 2 hours, and nothing. Her phone had no signal, and the doors to the plane were closed. she had no way to contact anyone. she looked outside the windows and saw it was already night, and the dark took over the hangar.

Suddenly, the plane started to move.

"what? hey! no, what... HEY!" she screamed, but the door to the pilot's cockpit was locked. She ran from one side to the other of the plane, desperate, not knowing what was going on. The plane started taking off, so she sat down and fastened her seat belt to avoid falling down.

Maybe she would meet Ressler somewhere else, or maybe something happened, and Red had a weird way to comfort her. she pulled her legs up on the seat and hugged them, hiding her face. she started to knock her forehead against her knees lightly, nervous, when a beep indicated it was okay to walk on the plane again. But she didn't want to walk, she wanted answers.

That's when she heard.

"Liz?" the voice came from behind, and she checked her glass to see how much she had drunk. How can there be someone here if we're on the air? She turned slowly, a little bit afraid, and found him, blond hair, blue eyes, freckles, all intact and safe.

"Ress? but...but.. how?" He laughed.

"I told the pilot to take off without alerting you. I wanted to surprise you."

She didn't say anything, she just unbuckled her belt and ran straight towards him, capturing his lips on hers, desperate. He held her tight and kissed her back passionately.

"Damn, Donald!" she said, giving him a light slap on the face for the scary surprise. "I nearly died here! the plane just took off!" he laughed, and kissed her again, picking her up and taking her to one of the long seats by the windows. They just didn't care they were in a plane, it was two weeks of missing and longing and no contact at all. He took her t-shirt off as she just ripped his, buttons flying everywhere, making both laugh between kisses. The seat was too small for them, and they fell with a thud on the carpeted floor of the plane, and there they stood.

"Oh, I missed you so much!" she whispered as he went down to kiss her breasts. He took out her pants and then lied on top of her, finding her lips again and kissing them furiously.

"I love you, so much" he whispered as they became one.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

She found a blanket and covered them both as they stayed on the floor, completely tangled, their backs leaning on the seat, drinking wine and eating some snacks they found on the cupboard. Red's plane was comfortable and warm.

She buried her head on his chest, still not believing he was there. "Oh, I was so worried, Donald. I mean, no news, nothing. It was the worst 2 weeks of my life."

"well, try living it for 5!" he said, mentioning her time on the run. She wanted to defend herself, say that he had news from her, it was different, but in a way, it wasn't, specially because back then he had to bottle up his feelings. So she didn't say anything.

She was dozing off on his chest when it came to her. they were on air. "Where are we going?" she remembered she never told the pilot where to go, but she figured Ressler had.

"I told him to take us to Greece" she widened her eyes, considering his choice. They would see the ancient monuments, the blue sea, the beautiful houses in the islands, all that history. It seemed like the perfect choice.

"Oh, wow! I can't wait!" she said, and then she snuggled into him to sleep, opening her mouth in a yawn.


	7. Hellas

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The couple has their first big trip to paradise, Greece.

They had a fantastic stay in Greece. When they arrived in Athens, a man approached them and told them they had reservations in a five star hotel. Red. It was scary how on point he was.

They visited all the touristic spots and were marveled to see all those impressive constructions. The temples, the museums. It was all fantastic. The Parthenon was Liz's favourite. She wanted to go back there twice after they went.

After a few days going around the country, they embarked on a 5-day cruise around the greek islands. The view from the ship was one of a kind. The blue sky, the clear ocean and the white houses created an atmosphere that they had never imagined possible before.

Tonight, though, it was their last night. They were staying in a small house by the beach in Santorini and having a lazy day. Liz had a tan and although some parts of her body were sore because of the burn, she liked the result. and so did Don.

His light skin didn't tan so much as got burning red, so he was careful enough not to try, and wore a high fps sun lotion.

Right now she was naked standing at the door of the bedroom that took directly to the beach. It was deserted, so she wasn't scared someone would see her.

Only the man she wanted to.

He was laughing as he observed her stretch her arms, flexing the muscles in her perfect back. He couldn't deny it looked like a scene from a James Bond film.

She turned, seductively, and asked why he was laughing.

"Nothing. It's just that you are quite the exhibitionist" he joked, and she swayed her hips with a grin.

"No. It's hot. That's all"

"Oh, ok? So you just stand naked at the windows in DC!?"

"It's never this hot, or this deserted in DC"

She moved back to the bed and layed on her back, her head resting on his stomach. He drew circles on her side as she caressed the nasty scar on his leg, a consequence of the shot he took when the post office was attacked by Anslo Garrick.

"Do you ever wonder what our lives would be like if we didn't have Red?"

She asked, distracted with the markings in his skin.

"I would never afford a place like this, that's what. We would probably be staying in a hostel sleeping with a weird european on his gap year"

She laughed, and then turned on her stomach to face him.

"Yeah. That's the point. Do you think we would have met? Would we have gotten to this point?"

He moved a little to sit more comfortably on the pillows under him, a bit uncomfortable with the question.

"I don't know, Liz. Where is this coming from?"

"Well, I mean, I wouldn't have found out about Tom, or would I? Would we still work together, or would I have been asigned to a different department? Would Audrey still be alive?"

His eyes closed, and she feared she had stepped out of the line by mentioning his dead girlfriend. They never talked about her. Sometimes she mentioned things about Tom, or old boyfriends, but he was dead silent about Audrey.

"I'm sorry. Let's not talk about it, ok?" She tried to shake it off, but he held her on her hip and looked at her, serious.

"No, it's okay. I don't know, but I think we would have met, eventually. Yeah, Audrey would have been alive, probably married, away. She came back to me after this scar, remember? And I think you would've found out about Tom. You didn't need Red to figure that out, right?"

Thinking back on the events that lead to her finding out Tom's real intentions, she realised that not much was Red's doings. But he had planted the doubt in her mind, that he did.

"Do you think our lives would be easier?"

He chuckled "yeah, definitely!" She only smiled faintly.

"Do you think we would have got together?" She looked at his eyes and got her face really close to his.

"I like to believe so. I don't want to imagine that Red is the sole responsible for my happiness" they smiled, and then kissed.

She laughed mid-kiss and when she opened her eyes he looked puzzled. "How are we supposed to go back home?" She asked as she straightened up, straddling him.

"I have no idea" he replied.

To keep the cover of the vacation trip, back at the airport in DC Ressler went away, to go back to where he was undercover. He would stay there a few hours before making contact and announcing what he did two weeks before. During this time, Dembe sent bogus messages, pretending to be Ressler, and preparing the agency to find out what really happened with the Hawkes foundation. On the plane ride home, Donald told Liz what he had to do.

"We were on a dead end. Hawkes would escape, that was certain. Until Red sent in one of his contacts. Only I knew the true intentions of the man. He was good, Liz, an old small man, but convincing. He persuaded Hawkes to give money away and that's when I got the lead that helped me finish the case. I don't know where Red find those guys, but it's amazing what they can pull off."

"He said you had to step out of the law. what did you do?"

He looked down, considering whether it would be smart or not to tell her. "There are some things Red wanted to use from the organization. Some important leads. I gave them away to him in exchange for this trip." She widened her eyes, concerned.

"Why, Donald? We could've gone away anytime."

"Yeah, I know. But would we, really? Why would the agency send me to that undercover op, Liz? What's next? Months away? a colaboration with Mossad directly in Israel?"

"you think they were trying to break us up?"

"Yeah, I kinda do. I don't know. Maybe I just missed you too much."

"Well, nice to know that the best vacation I've ever had could put you under internal affairs investigations." she sat closer to him on the plane, putting her head on the crook of his neck as she sipped orange juice. Her eyes were heavy, and she yawned. "Let's just sleep, and get home, and then we decide what to do".

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Back at the post office, no one really noticed the missing files Ressler gave to Red, so they decided to keep it secret for now. Liz was determined to get them back from Red and put them in the case files before anyone noticed, but Ressler knew that that would only put her on the spot. "Let it go, Liz. Red knows what he's doing. He promised nothing would happen to us."

"what's he going to do with them?" she asked, and Donald had no idea.

She drove them back to her apartment and he helped her bring her things up. she had an extra luggage with all the shopping and souvenirs from Greece, as she decided to reveal the real reason for her absence, at least to Samar and Aram, and had brought them gifts. Ressler's things stayed in the car, as she would drive him back home in the morning.

"Oh my God, I'm tired!" she screamed, as she petted Hudson and went to fill his bowl. Dembe had been visiting her apartment to take care of the dog while she was away.

"Do you want me to go away?" Ressler hinted, concerned.

"Don't you dare leave this apartment, Donald Ressler." she smiled and went to him, placing a kiss on the tip of his nose as she put her arms around him and stood slightly on her toes. he looked down at her and smiled back, giving her a peck on the lips.

"Can you help me unpack?" she asked, and he nodded in reply. They went up the stairs and started taking the clothes and things out of the luggage, and in a few minutes she put all her clothes away (mostly new clothes, as she had taken only a light bag Dembe had packed for her), and they remained with the souvenirs scattered on the bed. They picked each one and remembered on their experience. Liz was very fond of buying something from each place they visited, so the bed was filled with snow globes and little statues and keychains, each from one city or island. she put them away carefully, separating what was supposed to be presented to Samar and Aram the next morning. then, she went back to her bed and lied down, Ressler carefully caressing her head.

"Oh, I want to go back!" she said, looking at him from the bed. he was sitting next to her, supporting himself on his elbow.

"I wish we could've stayed there forever. It was really a dream."

"Thank you for being part of my dream" she said, and he didn't respond, just stood there thinking. After almost a minute of silence, she turned over on the bed to face him, and she looked worried.

"Ress, are you ok?" he downed his eyes and smirked at her.

"What if I unpacked here?"

She frowned, confused. "Then all your stuff would be here. wouldn't it be difficult?"

He looked at her with an incredulous look, and she was worried she didn't catch something. "What about you understand my hints, Liz?"

"What? but..." and then it came to her. "Oh, really? You wanna move in?" she stood on her knees on the bed, a smile fighting to come out between the looks of concern.

"Do you think it's crazy?" he was now worried, nearly regretting mentioning the idea. He just wanted to be with her, so much. two weeks away was too much, he didn't want to go back to that shitty Liz-less apartment of his.

"But, here?" she motioned, and now he was really regretting. She was going to say no. she was going to say it's crazy, and they would live in awkwardness. Damn, it, Donald.

"I would never take you to live in my small crumped old apartment Liz. I just suggested here because, well, it's big and it's payed for. It seems to be the right choice."

"No..." Oh, no. he swallowed a sob and held his breath when he noticed she hadn't finished talking. "We could find our own place" her face opened in a big smile, and he suspected she was saying yes, but didn't know for sure. his stomach was doing flips like a golden gymnastics athlete.

"We need to find our own place!" she repeated, and he just had to ask.

"Is that a yes?"

She stopped for a second, looked at him and with a wide smile threw herself in his arms.

"Yes, Donald, it is a yes. I want to live with you." and then she motioned to kiss him lightly, but he held her head to kiss her with all the passion he had got. THey will be moving in together, in their own apartment, with their own personality in it. It was a hell of a step, and he could never do it with anybody else but her.

They adjusted on the bed and laid there holding each other, dreaming of their new house. They spent hours discussing possibilities of districts, and decoration ideas, and that they just had to have the same shower there, no discussion.

"Are we going to find a small 1 bedroom apartment?" she asked.

"I was thinking something bigger, like a house, with two or three."

"Why do you want three bedrooms?" she was smilling like a girl.

"You never know when you might need an extra bedroom, Keen." he said, thinking exactly what she was, but both too scared to mention. They were taking a big step, and that would determine where they were going as a couple. They could talk about it later.

She yawned and cuddled closer to him, falling asleep.

"Oh, I just can't wait to check the ads tomorrow". He took her in, stroking his hand on her hair and soothing her to help her sleep.

"I love you, Liz. so much. you have no idea." he said, but there was no response. she was already sleeping next to him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N - ok, small Friends reference there because I had to grasp to the best and most wonderful of all ships, Mondler. Next chapter, the new house!
> 
> BTW- I love bringing small souvenirs from my trips, so that was me in Liz.


	8. White paint and brown chocolate

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Liz and Ressler move in together, and have to get everything ready in their new house. They also meet their lovely neighbor, Eliza!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Short one again, guys, but cute. enjoy! Thanks to pl3as3-tak3-m3-t0-w0nd3rland from tumblr for the idea of moving in together xD. I just changed from him moving into her apartment to them moving into a new house because I think it makes it more original for them (and I like the idea of creating something totally theirs, seems more intimate).

After a few weeks they found the perfect house. It was small and cosy, with a living room/ dining room, a small kitchen and two rooms up the stairs. The house was old, but all it needed was a new coat of paint, and it would be perfect. After they signed the papers and it was all done, it took 1 week for them to received the keys, and that wait nearly drove Liz insane.

Red was still not okay with the fact that they were leaving the apartment he bought for her to a small house, but he accepted and gave them the money he made selling the apartment. That money helped them buy all the furniture and the paint to finish the walls.  
They finally got the keys to the house and got a weekend free to clean it and paint it. Liz was wearing jeans overalls and had her hair up on a ponytail, whilst Ressler was wearing an old Quantico t-shirt.  
They stood for a few minutes looking at the wall with their brushes in their hands, wondering where to start. When they bought it, it seemed like a good idea to have a patterned wall, but now, they had no idea how to do it.  
"Maybe we should have it painted" Liz said, frowning and biting her bottom lip.  
"No! It's simple, really"  
"Simple, hun? Ok, start it then!"  
He turned to look at her raising her eyebrows, daring him to start. He analysed the instructions the woman at the paint shop had written for them and started explaining it as he understood.  
Ok, so she said we first need to give it a coat of white. Probably two or three coats before we think about the pattern. Then we use the special brush over there to coat it with the color. And then the primer."  
"But it is a primer. shouldn't it go first?. and it says here that the walls must be cleaned and sanded. what does that mean?"  
He frowned stunned and confused with all that information and was starting to consider leaving the walls the way they were.  
"Damn. i'll check the internet. Here, I found a website explaining it in 14 steps." Oh God - Liz thought. She looked at the walls and knew that they would not do he came back, she completely ignored what he was saying, and used her brush on his face, painting him from forehead to chin in white.

She opened her mouth as he stood in front of her stunned and then ran away as he wanted revenge. They looked like two kids running around their house. When she got to their bedroom, the bed recently delivered and the mattress still wrapped in plastic seemed inviting enough, so she jumped on it, her bare feet sliding on the plastic as she dodge his attempts to trip her. He finally grabbed her feet and she fell on her back on the mattress, and he perched on top of her, brush in hand.  
"Let me see, how am I going to create my masterpiece?" He said, as he drew spots on her face with the paint, and she was laughing so hard tears were coming out of her eyes. He could feel her belly shaking under him as he painted her face white.  
"Oh, no!" She said, as she spit a bit of paint that entered her mouth. He threw the brush over his shoulder and she complained, afraid that it would stain the floor.  
"I'll clean it!"

"what if it doesn't come off?"

"then we'll have carpets." he seemed to have a solution for whatever problem she came up with.

Then he started to kiss her neck and shoulders, painting it in white as he did, staining her t-shirt.  
He unbuckled the overalls, and then slid the t-shirt off, revealing her breasts as she was not wearing a bra. They kept kissing and touching, the heat increasing as she slid her hand under his t-shirt and scrapped his back lightly with her nails, but then there was knock on the door.  
"Don't answer it" Liz said, panting, already begging for him.  
"Wasn't planning to" was his reply.  
There was another knock, and then the person rang the doorbell.  
"I hate our neighbours" he said, causing her to laugh out loud, but then consider that it might be a neighbor, and they had to make an impression. Aparently the neighborhood was quite friendly, but also very united, and they didn't want to go against this.  
"C'mon" she said, patting him on the back so he would get off of her. "We should answer"  
"What?" He said, disappointed, as she put her t-shirt back on and was buttoning the sides of the overalls. "You go then. it's not that easy for me"  
She smirked proudly as she bent on the bed to kiss him, and then went downstairs to open the door.  
"Hey!" A nice old lady was on the other side, holding a plate containing what seemed to be a cake. "How are you, my dear? My name is Eliza. I live next door and was so excited to find out that someone finally got this old house!"  
Liz motioned to let Eliza in, and the woman looked up and down the house, measuring everything. She had a strange accent and Liz couldn't just figure out where she was from.  
"Oh, I'm Liz. I've moved in here with my boyfriend Donald, he's upstairs." She said, and as she looked at the stairs she noticed her reflection in the mirror by the foot of the stairs. She still had her face painted with balls of white. She ran to the kitchen to grab a towel and tried to remove it, but some vestiges that had already dried stayed on her skin.  
"Oh, don't worry my love. It's part of the fun of painting a wall, isn't it?" The nice woman said, walking now towards the living room. The furniture was all in the middle of the room, covered in plastic so they could paint. "How are you doing, by the way?"

"Not very good" Liz confessed, and then pointing at her face. "We kinda gave up. We decided to have a pattern, but now it doesn't seem like an idea as we can't even start."

"Oh" the woman laughed. "I imagine. It seems so easy when we see from the outside, right? My father used to be a painter, I know how it is. I used to observe him doing it, when I went to help in his job, and thought I could do it. Never did. Oh, I may have the number of a nice young man that can help you with that."

"Oh, that would be great!" Said Liz, and then she gave the woman one of her FBI cards.

"FBI, hun? that sounds important."

"I'm a profiler. I analyse the cases and create profiles for suspects."

"So it is important. Well done. What about your man?"

Liz laughed when the woman called Donald 'her man'. He was it, indeed.

"He's a field agent."

"danger, hun? You lives must be very exciting."

"We're actually looking for some peace, now" they both stared at each other, and Liz thought it was coming to an awkward silence, but the woman kept smiling, and she felt comfortable.

"Here!" The woman put the plate on Liz's hands and it was still warm and it smelt delicious. "It's a carrot cake. In Brazil we top it with melted chocolate. I hope you like it"  
Ah, she was Brazilian. That explains the warmth and friendliness.  
"Thanks. So, you're from Brazil? How long have you been here in DC?" They moved to the kitchen, where most of the things were already settled, just a few boxes were on the table. She put the plate on the counter and took a knife from the top drawer. When she removed the tablecloth that was covering the cake, the smell hit her strong, and it looked beautiful too.  
"Oh, about 20 years already. I came here because of my husband, bless his soul. He passed away 5 years ago. Since then I live alone, but my kids visit quite often. I usually cook around for the people in the area."  
She cut a piece and it was bright yellow, with some lines of brown as the chocolate ran on the sides of the piece. She felt suddenly hungry.  
At this moment, Donald entered the kitchen and introduced himself to the lady.  
"Hum! Good choice, my dear! He's a catch." the woman smirked at Don, who blushed a little.  
"This is Eliza. She's Brazilian and she lives next door. She was kind enough to bring us cake" he took a piece and tried it, the warm cake melting in his mouth. He couldn't help letting out a moan.  
"This is so good!"  
The woman smiled, feeling proud.  
"I can bring you all kinds of Brazilian treats for you to try. You Americans don't know how to eat, really! I mean, if you want, i don't want to intrude."  
They already loved their neighbour, and were devouring the cake. "Sure, we would love to!"  
"Well, I'm going home now, I let another cake in the oven. It's very nice to meet you, call me if you need anything, ok?"  
The woman said goodbye with two kisses on their cheeks, which was strange enough but must be something Brazilians do, and then she let herself out.  
They kept eating the cake and realised they hadn't had lunch yet.  
"Wow, this is amazing!"  
"Yeah!" They had their mouths full.  
"I guess I won't be needing you anymore, Liz. The chocolate is doing it for me" she slapped him on the shoulder, and he grabbed her arm to pull her close. They had now their faces white and brown from the chocolate, but they didn't mind as they resumed what they were doing in the bedroom right there on the kitchen counter.  
After a long and hot make out session, as they were panting and catching their breath, they contemplated how wonderful that experience was, and how many things they would live still in that house. They were building a history together.  
They hired the handy man to paint the walls and took two more days to set all the decoration until the house was ready to receive them permanently.

They moved in in separate days. He moved in first, and spent the night alone as she had to burn the midnight oil in a case with Samar. Then she moved in, but he had to fly to LA for a meeting. Their first night together in the house was a Friday night, and they already stablished a tradition. Friday nights were take out and movie night.  
She entered the house bringing two pizza boxes and the blu ray of _Mad Max_. He was surprised she hadn't brought Wing Yee's.  
"Wing Yee's was my tradition with Tom," she explained. "Is it okay if we change it?"  
"Sure Liz!" He said, understanding that it brought memories she didn't want to recycle. "By the way, I never considered the chinese our thing from that date."  
"No?"  
"U-hun. It was the wine. You chose to drink that wine with me."  
She smiled, remembering Red's orders about the wine " Red told me to drink it with someone special"  
He didn't know that. He looked surprised and flattered. "Oh, yeah? I didn't know that. Thank you, Liz. It means... a lot. I mean, at that time we were just partners, I would have never thought..."

"Well, I was lonely and scared and still hurt because of Tom, and you were there for me. It was special."

They spent some time just looking at each other lovingly, and then he bent down. "That's why.." He pulled a bottle of red wine from the wine cooler they have under the counter in the kitchen. It keeps the wine in a cool temperature and it was already filled with red and white bottles. She smiled and got the cups from the cupboard.

They watched the film as they ate, discussing how the film brought a new view on the role of women in the cinema and in society.  
"I see you like this in the taskforce. Like Furiosa. Strong, determined but delicate. Owner of herself, but still sensible." She felt so good with what he said that she just leaned and gave him a kiss. "I love you, and I love our house"  
"Me too" he replied, pulling her closer by the waist.  
"Tonight is our first official night here, both of us" she remembered.  
"I know." He whispered.  
"What do you want to do now?" She asked, already knowing the answer.  
"I want to finally have you with me in our bed" he said, and she stood up pulling him from the sofa by the hand, then guiding him up the stairs to their bedroom.  
A light breeze entered the room from the opened window, and the night was dark outside.  
As she lead him into the room, she turned around to face him and pulled him straight into a kiss, holding his hair. He pushed her slightly so her legs would touch the bed and then tilted her until she fell on it, with him falling over her.  
It was finally their moment, in their house, the start of something amazing.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh, aren't they adorable? Fun fact, Eliza, the Brazilian neighbor, is based on my grandmother, who is actually Portuguese, but so Brazilian in spirit. and her carrot cake is to die for! Just so you have a picture of what I tried to describe, check this photo (it's not my grandma's, it's just a googled pic) - . /imgres?imgurl= . &imgrefurl= . /bolo-de-cenoura-magnifico/&h=372&w=620&tbnid=edv1t5SWOewgFM:&docid=skHsT6_wwKMwXM&ei=WYdGVujoE8PJogTuwa74CQ&tbm=isch&ved=0CDQQMygDMANqFQoTCKj5ivbajskCFcOkiAod7qALnw
> 
> Fun fact 2 - there's actually a site "how to paint a wall in 14 steps" ( Paint-a-Wall). I thought it was hard enough so I changed from having then painting the wall to the running around painting each other's faces idea. they would have painted each other eventually in the other idea xD.
> 
> Thanks for reading!


	9. Shattered porcelain

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In the life of every good couple there are ups and downs, right?

"I cannot believe you!" she screamed, as she stormed into the house, nearly shutting the door on his face behind her.

"Liz! stop! listen to me, please?" He pleaded, but she just ignored, as she had done all the way back from the bar.

They had gone to a bar close to their house with Aram and Samar after work, and everything was okay until they started mentioning crazy things they did because of the whole Cabal situation. and then Samar mentioned it.

"Oh,well, I think Ress and I get the golden medal of crazy, right? Because of that night." She said, innocently, and then choked on her beer when she noticed Liz's stunned face. "Oooh, no. I thought you had told her!" she turned to Ressler, trying to pin the blame on him.

"No, I had not." he answered, and then touched Liz's shoulders, but she shrugged him off. "I'm...I'm going home, ok?" she said, an then immediately got off her stool and stormed out of the bar.

"Oh, well. I understand her, completely" Aram said, sipping on his beer. He still held grudges on Ressler for that night, even though everything ended up fine between him and Samar. Both agents turned to him with worried faces.

"I'll go after her. See you guys tomorrow" He said, and Samar waved him away, concerned. Then she turned to her own boyfriend, upset that this story was still a problem in the group. She rested her head on his shoulder, and he pretended not to care, still drinking his beer, but soon yielded and put his arms around her, kissing her forehead.

Ressler went outside the bar to find an empty street. No sign of Liz anywhere. He still had the ticket for the car park, so she must have gone on foot. He left the car there and ran towards home, searching for a sign from her. Nothing. And then she saw her, walking fast. He ran to catch up to her.

She did not want to talk.

"Get out, Ressler." she said, turning from him.

"Please, Liz, hear me out!"

"I'm okay. it's okay, I'm just tired." and she accelerated.

"No, it's not". and he followed her.

Now they were in their house, and she ran upstairs and shut the door to their bedroom. He turned the knob and was relieved that it wasn't locked. She was taking off her rings and necklace, throwing the things rather than putting them inside the porcelain box where she kept them.

"Liz, careful, honey" he said, and she just took the porcelain box and threw it on the floor.

"I don't care" she said, but immediately regretted doing that. she loved that box. Her bijoux was now all scattered on the bedroom floor, but she didn't bothered picking them up. She was shaking, so she sat down on the bed and breathed in. He was a bit far now, scared that the next thing would fly on his head.

"Liz. please. can I talk?" she didn't respond, so he took this as a sign to start talking.

"What Samar meant, when she said crazy, it's real, Liz. It was crazy. It didn't mean anything." she closed her eyes, tears flowing from them as she just listened to him. "We were both broken, tired. She had just given up her brother after finding out he was a terrorist. I had just found out that once more I had been left behind. Cooper was taking Tom's help, considering him to be more likely to bring you home than me. I was lost, I missed you and..."

"Oh, you missed me, so you slept with her?" she looked at him, finally, and her eyes showed incredulity. He puffed.

"Oh well, it was wrong of me, and I wasn't thinking straight."

"you know, Ressler, when you're not thinking straight, you go home and sleep on it. ALONE!" she emphasized the last word, and it hit him hard. She knew that, rationally, she shouldn't care. They weren't together, then. He was single and Samar was single and they could do whatever they wanted. But boy, it hurt. at that time, she was on the run. She was lost and she was scared and she was getting any kind of help she could get. And she never got his. Damn, if it wasn't the time for her conscience to be on his side. She heard of that fight at Cooper's house. Ressler took a punch at Tom, he had a fading black eye when she saw him. Truth was that she never knew how all of that had hit Ressler, not really, not the entirety of it all. They had screamed truths at each other when they first got together, but there was a lot more to that story. Definitely. and she found out about it tonight.

"Why didn't you tell me?" she whispered, looking down at her shoes, now.

"because I didn't think it was relevant." It wasn't relevant? They worked together everyday! Why wouldn't it be relevant?

"Are you still attracted to her?" she asked, and he rolled his eyes.

"I love you, Liz."

"Are you?" she asked again, angry.

He took a deep breath, and said. "no." it seemed honest.

"Why her?" she asked, still worried. Samar was a beautiful woman, and the last thing she wanted was to feel the need to be jealous of her friend. She was her friend. They had been accomplices when it all started. Samar could've told her, but she never did too. It just got more complicated by the minute.

Ressler was losing his patience. He wasn't guilty of anything. He had proven his love for her countless times and that night he was so upset and lost that he really considered taking a pill or two on his way home. In a way, Samar saved him. He would've gone off the rails that night if it hadn't been for her. He didn't know what to do then. He wanted to believe the law and justice would stay on their side, and that it was the best way to save Liz, and then more and more people went behind his back, betraying him. His boss. The fact that Cooper considered Tom Keen's help valuable hurt more than anything. and to hunt Karakurt. He could've done that on the task force. He could've gone after Karakurt himself. He would've done it. Or at least he think he would've.

"Liz, if all we've lived since then, it this house isn't proof enough that this is just something in the past, then I don't know what else to tell you. For christ's sake, stop that. It isn't as if you are totally innocent. You slept with Tom. you trusted him. You ran from me and accepted his help. How do you expect me to feel about that?"

She knew he was right, but she was so angry to care who was right and who was wrong. "Don't try to put the blame on me! I was lost and helpless!"

"So was I! I was right here, Elizabeth. You never considered me. You considered him."

They hadn't seen Tom since that night he invaded her apartment, nearly 10 months ago. She had news that he was living in Ireland and had a decent job, but nothing more. Tom was clearly part of her past now. So that gave her the excuse to understand that Ressler's fling with Samar was much worse.

"Tom is gone, Ressler. Samar is right there."

"And we're here" he completed, and noticed how ridiculous all that conversation was. She wasn't yet ready to joke. she was still upset and crying, and he knew that he couldn't go to her and comfort her. And it was killing him.

"c'mon, Liz. let's sleep, ok?" he tried to approach her, but she moved towards the bed, and entered under the cover without even changing into her pajamas, and sent him away.

"Please, I... I can't. Let me sleep alone tonight, ok?" He was outraged, and didn't believe all of that was happening because of a night he barely remembered. He was so sad and tired that he might as well have been drunk. He could barely remember the car ride that took him and Samar from the post office to his apartment, and what happened next. He just remembered waking up alone, and with a huge headache and regret. They didn't talk about it. Samar only came to him the next day and said "It was a mistake. forget about it. Let's bring Liz home". That day, he talked to Liz, and understood finally his feelings for her. He was broken because a part of him was missing. Liz was missing. and he had to bring her back if he wanted to be whole again.

Now, she was sending him to the couch. He knew that would happen eventually, but he thought it would be because of something he forgot to fix in the house, or a misunderstanding or some sort. But not this. Not as if he had cheated on her. He hadn't. It felt like this, anyway. Truthfully, it had felt like that since always.

he took his pillow and a blanket and went to the couch. He had to wave Hudson out of the couch so he coud lie down on his side, looking at the rain that fell outside only to complete the atmosphere of darkness and sadness. He couldn't sleep. He didn't feel like sleeping. He wanted to solve that. He wanted his happiness back.

xxxxxxxxxxxxx

It was 3:20 am. He had his eyes closed, but he wasn't sleeping. The darked crept into the room through the window, and the only sound he could hear was the snores from the dog.

That's when he felt her smell. and then felt her. She crept into his blanked, lying next to him and tangling herself on him. He kept his eyes closed, pretending he was sleeping. His heart filled with hope.

He opened his eyes, to find her blue ones right in front of him. They were wet, and so was her face. She hadn't slept either. She had been crying all this time. He didn't know if he was allowed to touch her, but she took his hand and placed it on her hip, signaling that she was about to forgive him.

"I can't sleep without you" she said, her voice rough and low from the crying.

"I'm sorry, Liz" he wanted to say sorry, although he was unsure it would be wise. It could start a new discussion. but it didn't.

"I'm sorry too." she said, surprising him. "I should understand. I.. I do understand. I just felt so scared!"

"Scared of what?" he was now taking her hair out of her face and slowly caressing it.

"Of losing you." she confessed, her eyes filling with water again.

"Babe, you can never lose me" he said, and she blinked, let a few tears to run free.

"It's just.. the thought of you with other women... I can't... I'm not jealous, Donald. I swear I'm not a crazy jealous freak." he chuckled.

"I know you aren't."

"it just hurts too much. the prospect of losing you...I can't."

"you won't."

"promise?"

He had his hand now behind her head, making circles with his finger on the back of it, to relax her. He took a deep breath before saying.

"Elizabeth Keen, you are the most amazing, incredible, annoying person I've ever met. You make me feel things I never thought I would ever feel, and do things I never thought I would do. My life was completely different when you came to it, and you turned it around like a hurricane. Even when you were married, you made an impression on me, you changed me. And when you went away, I thought I would never see you, that I would lose you, and every day I tried to do something right, it was the wrong thing and you would be in danger still. I had to live with the idea that you could die at any minute, and that killed me. For those months, I was a walking corpse. my life faded from me each step you took away from me. Each day that I had to choose between you and the job. Now you're here, and everyday I wake up before you and I observe you and I wonder if I deserve all this. You make me happier than I could ever imagine. And I want to spend the rest of my life trying to make you as happy as you make me. I love you more than I can describe in words."

she was full on crying at the end of his speech, and finally, they locked lips in a kiss, sealing the peace. They finally found the urge to sleep now that it was all back into place.

She started to laugh, and he looked at her puzzled.

"I really loved that porcelain box." she said, and he also laughed.

"We can buy a new one, babe"

She snuggled closer to him and put her head on his chest, listening to his beating heart, only now calming down. He let a tear fall on her hair from his eye before closing it, falling into slumber immediately.


	10. Little blue box

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Liz and Ressler talk about their future together

It was a cold morning in DC, and Liz needed something to heat up desperately. She opened the doors to the Starbucks and welcomed the warmth of the heater inside. She removed her coat and scarf and went to look at the menu above the counter, as she always did, although she already knew what she wanted. Tall Cappuccino with double shot of coffee and cinnamon, as she always ordered. She told the barista her order and indulged herself on a blueberry muffin, and after paying, went to sit on one of the tables available.

The place was crowded, but not exactly uncomfortable. Many people were just passing buy for their morning coffee, and as soon as they took their cup, they left. Some people just liked the atmosphere of the place and spent hours there with their mac books, and some tourists were there looking for something warm and free wi-fi. They called her name and she stood up to pick up her order. When she sat down again, sipping on her hot beverage and taking small bites of the muffin, she observed the people around.

On the background, Christmas songs were playing, saying that although it's still November, Christmas is near. She remembered she needs to buy Christmas decorations and a tree for the new house.

"Look, mommy." the high-pitched voice of a little girl called Liz's attention, and she looked around to find its origin. It was from a family sitting on the couches next to her. There was a mom, and two kids, an older boy and a little girl, who was sitting on the carpet, using the small coffee table to draw pictures on a notebook. "I draw you an elephant"

"That's beautiful, sweetie!" the mom leaned to look at the girl's drawings, and she smiled to her daughter as she sat back and took a sip from her coffee. A few minutes later, a dad appeared, carrying sandwiches and his own coffee.

"c'mon, kiddo, let daddy use the table now, ok?" he asked the girl to clean her crayons so he could put the food on the table, and the girl pouted while collecting her things.

Liz couldn't stop watching that family having a nice breakfast together, laughing and being cute. The boy had his nose on his cellphone, but his mom tapped it slightly to call his attention to the food. He locked the screen and put it in his pocket, before fighting with his sister for the bacon/egg/gouda.

"Hey, that's mine"

"No, mommy, I want this!"

"Here, there's two of those, stop whinning, Lucy. Be kind to your sister, Ben."

Ben patted the top of Lucy's head while taking a bite of his sandwich, and the girl opened a wide smile to her brother.

Liz felt empty. All she ever wanted was something like this. A family, a real life. When she became a "hunted terrorist", that all came crumbling down. She had already lost faith she would ever have that dream when she found out about Tom, so when she had to become a fugitive, she shoved it aside, as a long lost impossible dream.

Now, it was all different. She wasn't on the run anymore. She was in a good relationship with a man she loved. She smiled alone while picturing Donald's kids. They would have ginger hair and freckles, bright eyes and tiny hands. They would have her hands. And her eyes.

They had never talked about it. Not seriously. When looking for the house, Don emphasized that he wanted a big enough house, with at least 1 extra room. And now these rooms where empty in their home. They talked about making a home office, or a home gym, but nothing never started off the plans. She wondered how he would react if she wanted to make it a nursery.

He tapped her shoulder and she was slightly scared.

"Sorry, baby. Didn't mean to startle you" he smiled, and bent town to kiss her.

"It's okay. I was distracted."

"What distracted you?" and she turned to look at the family. Now the mom was looking at the girl's drawings as the dad and Ben had their phones out again. Ressler understood immediately.

"Do you want one?" he said, causing her to turn her head surprised.

"What?"

"A kid. Do you want one?"

She smiled, blushing a little. He was being too straightforward.

"OH, well. Maybe, one day. I don't know. Before it was definitely part of my plans, it was my dream. But now…"

"now what?"

"now people out there sees me as a terrorist. I spent months running from the FBI and the CIA with a known criminal, doing things. How am I supposed to explain this to my children? Do I even deserve to be a mother after all this?"

He took her hands on his, still wearing gloves. the leather felt cold, but she could feel the warmth of his hand inside it. She was trying hard not to cry.

"Liz, stop it. You are not a terrorist. Never have been. There's no reason to fear that your kids you find out about it. and if they do, you just tell them the truth. What happened happened because you were set up, and you had to run away from very bad and dangerous everything is fine, and then you were cleared of the accusations, because they were a lie;"

She chuckled. "I was running from you".

"Well, running from bad and dangerous people, and a very handsome cop, too" he shook his head back, posing, and she had to hide her mouth on her arm to not laugh too loud. She knew he was right, it had been all a set up, but still… There were footage of her pursuit online, newspaper articles mentioning her as a terrorist. Could she ever be at peace taking her kids to the park, for example? People still stopped her on the streets to ask if she was the terrorist on the news. Once, a man screamed at the top of his lungs for the police when she was having sushi with Aram and Samar. They stood up for her, but it was hard to take.

"I guess when this entire terrorist thing fades away" she said it, but she didn't believe it. in her mind, she would have to live with her image as an FBI most wanted forever. He, on the other hand, knew it was soon going to disappear.

"It is already fading, Liz. Believe it." he comforted her, and she felt better. "Besides, imagine how cool it would be for our kids to have a criminal as their uncle?"

She laughed out loud picturing Red as part of the family. He would be the worst influence ever on a kid. But she would trust that Dembe would protect them from his bad ideas. Then, she noticed Donald used the pronoun "our".

Do you ever think about it?" If he was going to be straightforward, she was going to be straightforward.

"Sometimes, I think. I confess the thought of having kids once scared the hell out of me. Now, I'm not so sure if it's scared, or just… nervous, I guess. Concerned…" "Concerned?"

"Yeah, like, would I do a good job? Would I be a good father? That kind of thing. How could I know I'm doing it right?"

"I think you never can, until you do it, babe."

"Yeah" he looked at her, his eyes sparkling, and that eased her heart. He was happy to talk about it. "I'm gonna get some coffee" he stood up and placed a kiss on her forehead before moving to the counter.

She now turned to observe him. He had a long and heavy wool coat over his suit, and she thought that was very sexy. His hair was combed back, gelled and contrasted the blue of the coat. He had a nice smile while he ordered his drink, and when he looked back at her while he waited, her stomach flipped. Oh, God. Is this the father of my children?

Once, with Tom, she had decided to adopt. Because of her own upbringing, she believed that the right thing to do was to help kids that were going through situations like those that she did or even worse, before thinking about bringing kids of her own to the world. She still thought that, and adopting was definitely part of her plans, but right now, she dreamed about having her own. Maybe the ginger kids from her early daydream had already gotten her heart, and she wanted them, so much. Maybe Donald made her feel something Tom never did, the wish to have his kids.

But then again, she wondered if it was too soon to start talking about kids. Yes, they did live together, but having kids envolved a lot more. Would he want to get married first? Oh, dear, marriage. Would they ever get to that conversation? It was too soon, they had been a couple for 10 months, but hey, maybe it wasn't too soon. It had been almost a year. She had so many insecurities.

He came back with his drink, and laughed as she barely noticed he was back, concentrated on her cup. He startled her again.

"Jesus, what's on your mind, Keen?"

"Sorry. I got distracted again."

"Exactly. Why are you so distracted?"

"Do you ever think about marriage?" she blurted it out, and then closed her eyes, regretting it. She didn't know if he ever wanted to talk about it, and did not want to seem like she was pressuring him. She was happier than ever and if he wanted to keep it this way, so be it. she was ok.

"Marriage, Liz? I…" Donald stammered a bit, circling his finger on the opening in the lid of his coffee, and she was sure he was uncomfortable.

"Nevermind. Forget I asked. I'm okay, really".

"Hey!" he said, firmly. "You caught me by surprise, here. Give me a minute." She took a deep breath, still looking concerned.

"Now, Keen, if I ever think about marriage. Let me see. I only ever considered marriage once in my life, and it was in a pathetic way. It was right after Audrey died, and I found a pregnancy test among her things."

Liz was in shock. He had never told her this story, and she had no idea Audrey was pregnant when she died. She stayed in silence, fearing she would say something wrong.

"And the truth was that I never knew if I thought that because I found the test, or because she was dead. I wonder now if I would have thought about it if she was alive and/or not pregnant. What makes me doubt my own intentions when wanting to marry her. Did I want to marry her because she was pregnant? Or did I consider marriage because now she was dead and I couldn't do anything about that? So I forgot about it. I never thought of myself as a marrying kind."

"Don…I… I'm sorry. Hey, let's not." He interrupted her with his hand, and then continued.

"As we bring things to today, I don't know. I feel this desperate need to be with you and have you with me and yes, I still fear you will leave me one day because you're bored."

"C'mon, Donald!"

"It's true. So if I ever think about marriage. Liz, of course I do. Let's face it, we already live like a married couple, and we've been bickering and fighting like a married couple for years now. Every time I walk past a jewelry store I look at the rings and imagine them on your finger, but then I never walk in and buy one because I think it's too soon, and I might scare you off."

Liz had a big smile on her face, and tears in her eyes. Goddammit Donald Ressler, give me a ring now!

"I do think people would freak out if we just showed up engaged."

"Yeah."

She stood up and went closer to him, kissing his cheek and sitting on his knee. "You know what? You keep on looking at those rings, and when you find the right one, no matter if in 10 minutes or in 10 years, you buy it for me, deal? I'll keep this finger empty for you." she removed the ring she was wearing on the finger and put it on her pocket. From now on, that finger would only wear his ring.

"Now, about kids. I wouldn't mind if we started trying to make one" he said, jokingly, biting her arm lightly over her coat.

"Oh, well, the making is quite interesting, right?" she laughed.

"Why don't we give it to chance, just like the ring? You stop with the pills, and if it comes, it comes."

"are you crazy? No!" she sat back on her chair, and looked stunned with his idea. "we need to plan it, organize everything, we can't do it by chance!"

"It's not like the baby comes in a week, Liz"

"You have no idea how little 9 months is as time to prepare for a kid. No way, we are planning this."

"Ok, then. Is it okay if I find the ring, first? Then we start talking about the next step?"

She nodded. "Ok, then. So, do you want to take a look at that jewelry store now?" she smiled, in a not-so-joke joke, and he laughed out loud.

They stood up, wore back their coats and scarves and gloves, and he put his arm around her as they move to the door, going back to the cold air.

He sighed, thinking about the little box he had in his inside pocket, for about a week now.


	11. Painkillers

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Liz gets hurt while on the field. But Ressler is right there to take care of her.

"Liz! No!" He screams, as he sees in front of him his worse nightmare. The perp came out of nowhere and pointed a gun at her. As she turned to face him, he shot twice, and she was jolted backwards, falling to the floor. He runs to her, shooting the guy down and then immediately crouching next to her.

"Liz? Liz, please be awake, please" she moved slowly and he could finally breathe.

"Hey, hey, calm down! It hurts, I know" he says, as he holds her head up and helps her sit down. He had taken many shots on kevlar before. It hurt, but she would be fine in a few minutes. Unless...

"Liz, what is this?" He said, pointing at a dark spot under her vest. She looks down and when she touches it, it hurts. And her hand comes out red with blood.

He panickes, as he removes her vest to ser that ine bullet found its way under the vest and hit her on her belly. She starts yo fade from consciousness again.

"No, no, no, baby, hey! Please! I need help here! " he screams at the backup that had arrived, and in a few seconds two paramedics appear to check on her. They thank Ressler for holding the wound tightly with his hands, but then ask him to step aside so they could work. He looks as they lie her down on the ground again. He stands up and just observes then working, tears flowing from his eyes. He doesn't even care that one of his subbordinates comes to ask for further orders and sees him crying. That's his love there, on the ground. How did that bullet passed the vest?

He put a hand on his mouth and only then remembered that his hands were covered in her blood. He wiped them on his already destroyed shirt and helps as the paramedics raise her up on a stretcher and take her to the ambulance. He doesn't even ask, and sits inside the car. They close the doors and move to the hospital.

-/-

"Are you her husband?" the doctor says, and Donald shakes his head.

"no. I'm her boyfriend. Please, you have to let me in. We live together."

"It says here that she's got a husband. Er... Tom." Really? Her medical records haven't been updated? what is this?

"Tom is her ex-husband. She's been divorced for nearly 2 years now. Are you kidding me?"

"I'm sorry, sir, we have to check it out"

He paces around the waiting room ready to kill someone if this doesn't work out. How can her records still say she's married to Tom? that's ridiculous.

the nurse comes to him and he stops pacing.

"Sorry, sir, we've just verified. Yes, she's divorced, I guess the system didn't updated it. You can come in, now."

"Thank you".

He followed the small nurse until a room, where Liz was, surrounded by machines. She didn't have any tubes in her, though, which was a relief. She only had an IV connected to her arm.

"She should wake up any minute now. I'll leave you alone"

"Thanks a lot" Ressler thanked the lady, who went away, closing the door behind her.

The picture was terrifying. Liz lying on a hospital bed uncounscious was the most horrible thing he had ever seen. It had been a simple procedure, but either way, it was still scary.

He goes to the side of the bed, sits down on an armchair and holds her hand. He waits like this for what seems to be hours until she wakes up.

"Don?" she whispers, weak. he stands up and goes to her, taking her hair off her face. she smiles faintly as she sees him, and he sighs with relief.

"Hey, babe! how are you?"

"I'm fine. thirsty, though" He immediately gives her the cup that was on the table next to her. she drinks it with a straw slowly, and then hands him back the cup.

"the doctors said you should be fine in a couple of weeks. How are you feeling?"

"sleepy. I guess it's the meds."

"You can sleep if you want, Liz".

"Yes, I do, I just... I wanted to see you." she smiles at him again, and his heart swells.

"Never do that to me again, ok?" he says, and she laughs, what causes some pain.

"Don't make me laught! It hurts!" she complains. "Ok, only if you promise never to get shot, kidnapped, tortured or killed, ok? That should be easy in our job."

He chuckles, and then bends down to kiss her forehead. She raises her head, asking for a kiss on the lips. he complies.

"I love you, you silly." she says, grazing her thumb on the freckes in his cheek.

"I love you too."

She stays in the hospital for 2 weeks. She had surgery and now needs to rest up for more 2 weeks at home.

"Really, I'm fine. I can walk to the car." She says as he brings a wheelchair to her room.

"C'mon, baby, let'd not force the wound, ok?"

"Really, donald, it's not necessary"

"You'll either get out of this hospital in a wheelchair or carried, walking is not an option."

She looks at him annoyed and then sits on the chair, reluctantly. He leans forward and kisses her on the cheek. "Good girl"

"I don't know if i like this protective Ressler" she lies. She's loving it. For the two weeks that she stayed in the hospital he stood there beside her, knew every detail kf every procedure she went through and knew her every medicine, which time and counter effect. He was the perfect nurse for when she got home.

"C'mon, you're going upstairs" Ressler said, while the entered their house slowly, following her pace. She looked up the stairs and wished she had chosen that terraced house they saw before this one. It was small and dark, but at least it didn't involve stairs.

He noticed her struggle and without asking, swept her off her feet and picked her up.

"Oh, God! donald!" She yelled, startled, and then laughed as she put her arms around his neck.

"My white knight!" She said, with a loving voice as she placed a kiss on his cheek.

They get to the room, and after he tuck her in on her side, he lies down on his.

"I wonder if it you had fun with this huge bed all to yourself these past week."

He scorns "of course not. Without you this bed is a universe of loneliness"

"Aawn" she melts into his passionate words, and tries to bend to give him a kiss.

"No, Liz, honey, don't move"

"I wanted to give you a kiss" she complains, already annoyed with the situation. Why can't she just heal and be done with it?

"Here. Get comfortable, ok?" He sits up and fluffs her pillows. "I'll go downstairs to get us some snacks and then we'll watch tv together." He gets out of the bed, and as he walks away he hears her fake cry. She's pouting like a 4 year old. He laughs and then places a kiss on her lips, to what she grabs his shirt and deepens the kiss. He sits next to her and removed her hair from her face.

"I miss you." She says.

"Hey, I'm right here!"

"Well, you know..."

"I miss you too, babe, but you need to heal"

"When you have a near death experience, you kinda want to enjoy all aspects of life"

"Wow! If that's a near death experience I wonder what was when Red had to operate a transfusion on me while under threat." He mocks her.

"Hey! It was the first time I got shot, ok? It was scary."

"Oh, Liz, you have no idea. I don't want ever to see your blood, alright?"

"Why? Do you feel dizzy with blood?" She smirks.

"Yeah, I feel dizzy and sick when the blood of the woman I love is all over my hands, thank you."

She pouts in pity and then kisses him again.

"Now go get me something to eat, I'm starving"

"Wow! Bossy, much?"

"If I can't move, then you're my slave. Go quickly and then come back and cuddle with me. And we're watching a chick-flick."

He rolled his eyes and bowed "as you wish, my lady".

The next few days went by fast. Liz healed quickly and the doctor said she would be as good as new faster than expected. Donald proved to be very good at housing stuff, cleaning, cooking and taking care of her all those days. He was very bossy when it came to her taking her not moving and following the doctor's orders, but specially to her meds. She was taking strong painkillers and he knew what that could end up if she didn't take care.

"Don't worry, honey, I don't even feel like needing those pills anymore."

"Anyway, I'll ask the doctor to change them to something weaker."

"Okay, but I don't need them. You're my painkiller. And I'm addicted to you" she said as she snuggled close to him and sniffed his neck to smell his cologne. He put an arm around her and pulls her in closer as he fells her slow breathing on his neck, a sign that she went to sleep.


	12. Jealousy

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A new agent comes to the post office and spends all day with Liz. Have I mentioned that he is a very attractive man?

They arrived at the war room and couldn't really understand what the fuss was all about. Everybody was gathering in the center of the room, whispering to each other and looking suspiciously towards Cooper's office. Liz approached an agent to ask what was going on.

"Cooper is talking to a new agent who's going to join the taskforce. He asked us all to get together so he can introduce the guy to us."

"Oh! I didn't know we were going to have a new guy" she is surprised, and joins the team of people staring at the room.

"Well, that's not only that!" said Agent Christine Mathis. "Rumor has it that the guy is hot!" she smirks and winks at Liz, and Ressler looks at the two women with a frown on his face.

They were about to move to join Aram and Samar when the door to Cooper's office opened, so they decided to stay put.

And agent Mathis wasn't joking when she said the guy was hot. Maybe she was being nice to Ressler, because to describe the man who left Cooper's office as 'hot' was a big euphemism.

He was tall and strong built, his shirt touching his abs and muscles, giving little to the imagination. He had narrow eyes, green and mysterious, and a wide smile, with a charming gap in the teeth. His strong jaw completed his face. He had long black hair combed back, with a lock falling over his forehead. Liz could notice all the women in the room trying to hide their sighs and heart eyes, and she was kinda making some effort as well, even with Ressler right beside her. The only one not bothered enough to hide her lust was Samar, who was eyeing the man up and down.

"hey everybody" Harold Cooper came from behind the man, waking everybody up to the reality. "This is Agent Marcus Dixon, he's been transfered to our division and will join us from now on. I hope you all can welcome Agent Dixon and help him settle down here"

The man pursed his lips into a shy smile, and waved to everybody, and some of the young agents couldn't hide their waving back, giggling to each other after that. Liz rolled her eyes to that weird childish behaviour. She noticed that Ressler was all stiff next to her, so he touched his arm to check up on him. He turned to her, startled.

"Hey, are you alright?"

"what? yeah, sure."

"Agent Keen" Cooper called, making her and Ressler turn their attentions to him. "Please, I'd like you to accompany Agent Dixon on a tour around the facility, show him all the rooms and also use this time to give him more details about our operation with Reddington." he turned to the man as Liz approached them. she felt a slight grip on her arm as she left Ressler's side, but couldn't turn around to look at him.

"This is Agent Keen, Agent Dixon. She is Reddington's contact and one of our top operatives".

"Really glad to meet you, agent. I know you reputation" he opened a smile and offered his hand for her to shake. His grip was firm and strong, but his hand was soft. Liz felt a weird sensation in her gut.

"Oh, I wouldn't go with my reputation, agent. I'm just a normal woman."

"there's nothing normal in a woman who's been through what you went through. I truly admire you" Liz opened a smile and looked down, blushing.

"well, where shall we start?" the man was waiting for her guidance through the facility, and was extremely gentle by walking beside her and holding a door open as they went to the other areas of the post office.

Ressler was grunting. He didn't really notice the fact that everybody had already gone back to their activities, whilst he was still there in the middle of the room. Aram was the one to wake him up.

"So, this guy, hun? who would have thought there could be something like that" Aram remarked.

"A Greek God, as defined by the phylosophers or whatever" Samar noted, and Ressler puffed, more like breathed fire through his nostrils. "I mean, what I wouldn't do to be Liz right now and..."

"How about we go back to work?" interrupted Ress, startling her. She observed perplexed as he marched towards his room, and then turned to Aram.

"Oh, Jeez." He was looking at her with squinty eyes. "Oh, c'mon, honey, you cannot deny that man is a piece of work. Give me a break" she slightly pushed her boyfriend before going back to her work.

All through the afternoon Liz was with Agent Dixon, explaining the procedures and showing him the blacklisters already captured. He always had questions, so she barely stayed in her office.

It was about three o'clock when Ressler got a call in his phone.

"Ressler" he spoke, firmly through the speaker.

"Donald!" he recognized Raymond Reddington's voice and sighed, annoyed, sitting back on his chair.

"Yes, Red, what do you need? do you have a new blacklister? Because Agent Keen's... busy" he wished he didn't sound so desperately annoyed with the situation to Reddington, but of course the man already knew.

"Ah, so Lizzie is the one walking Agent Dixon around, hun? I figured Cooper would do this."

"what do you know about this guy, Red?" he wished the criminal had some dirty secret of the new agent, something to get him out of there. But all Red had was compliments.

"Oh, no, Donald, Agent Dixon is an example. I asked him personally to Reven Wright as we decided our new protocol for my consultancy. I hope this won't be of any problem to you"

"No, of course not" Ressler wasn't even bothering hiding his annoyance now. Reddington laughed on the other end of the phone.

"Take care, Donald, and remember that Lizzie loves you. Don't act selfishly or do anything stupid regarding this matter."

It was good advice, after all, and Ressler thanked him before hanging up. He stared at his unfinished work, and then at his watch, finally towards the war room, but no sign of her. He shook his head to take it from his mind as he started to ruffle through the papers.

Only at half past five did she say goodbye to him, and went to her room, only to grab her bags, desperate for a bath.

"Hey, babe, let's go home?" she asked, innocently.

"Are you done?" he said it rougher than he meant it, and she looked at him confused.

"What? Donald, what's going on?"

"Nothing. let's go"

He held a hand behind Liz's back all the way to the elevator, circling her like a protective bear. she was still confused to what was going on, but chose not to provoke, sensing that would cause a fight.

He didn't say a word all the drive home, or when they got there and sat down to eat. When she was cleaning out the plates, he finally said something.

"so, the new agent... Agent..."

"Dixon, Marcus." she immediately got it, and rolled her eyes, sitting in front of him across the kitchen table.

"How was it? Is he nice? Is he good? I mean, do you think he'll be good for the task force?" she decided to play him a little.

"Yeah, sure. he's very qualified. He's been with the bureau for 10 years now, and was military before that. He was very interested in Red and the whole dynamic of the operation, I think he was a bit too excited with the idea of dealing with Red."

"hun" Ressler grunted, playing with his piece of chocolate cake

"He was very nice while we were going around the rooms and offices, a real gentleman. He seems to be a nice guy, funny. Hey, did you know that there is a room downstairs with a broken camera? Yeah, Marcus noticed that when he pinned me to the wall and kissed me."

"Oh, really...WHAT?" his eyes were wide, and she could see a vein popping out on his neck. She had to bite her lip to avoid laughing on his face.

"Oh my God, Donald! you're jealous!"

"what? no!" he scorned, the vein still popped out. She squinted, grinning, forcing him to confess.

"Oh, ok. Yes, I am. So there's this guy that made all the women in the room go nuts and then he spends the whole afternoon with my girlfriend? I'm sorry, Liz, but yeah, I'm jealous."

She starts laughing, and for a few good minutes she can't say anything without bursting out laughing. She should be mad at his reaction, doesn't he trust her? but it was also very cute. He crossed his arms and puffed like a child.

When she finally recovers from laughing, she stands up and sits on his lap, straddling him on the chair, and putting her arms around his neck, making circles on his hair.

"That's all very cute, Donald Ressler, but unecessary. That man did not call my attention at all."

"Are you serious, Liz? The guy nearly gave me goosebumps!"

"No. Nothing. I'm more of a ginger-freckled-blue-eyed strong guy type of girl." she touches his nose with hers. He puts his hand around her back under her t-shirt, while the other goes to her hair, holding her close.

"besides, why would I want a tall handsome and strong man? I already have one." He kisses her with all the passion that his jealousy held up all day, and now she definitely feels butterflies in her stomach. as the kiss deepens, she gets closer to him, holding him tightly. She stops it to gasp for air.

"wow. you should get jealous more often, Ress." she affirms, going to give small kisses on his neck.

"Haha, no way. I'm not going through that afternoon again."

"well, tomorrow agent Dixon will be there, you know."

"I guess agent Dixon will have to know that you are already mine" he captures her lips again, while she sinks her fingers into his hair.

"Am I, really? So why don't you take me to our bedroom and prove it, big shot?"

She doesn't have to say it twice. he stands up, holding her and, still kissing, they move to their bedroom.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N - So I decided to write another short one to compensate for today. I thought it would be a good idea to imagine Ressler being jealous of another man, and not Tom. So, in case you're wondering, Marcus Dixon - I used the name of the beloved partner of Sydney Bristow in Alias - was based on Morten Harket - lead singer of my favourite band, A-ha. I tried to describe Morten in the 1990's.


	13. Third time is a charm

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> How many times can a man propose before he proposes?

He had all planned out. She chose the restaurant, so she wouldn't be suspicious of said it was to celebrate their anniversary, and it wasn't a big lie. It wasn't the date of their first time together, but it was the date of their first date.

She chose a French restaurant, and although it annoyed him a little the fact that they always served small portions of food, he complied when she said that they were different, she had seen it in the newspaper. It was good French cuisine, not fancy French cuisine.

He wore a suit and was waiting on the living room, shaking his leg nervously as he constantly checked his pocket for the box. she came down the stairs in a beautiful purple dress with silver details, and she had her hair up on a pony tail. It was a warm night outside, and the stars were bright.

She smiled as she stepped out of the stairs with his help, taking his arm.

"You look beautiful, my love" he said, and placed a kiss on her cheek.

"You don't look bad yourself" she fixed his tie and brushed her hand on his hair. "You know, we don't need to go out. We can just celebrate here" she said, maliciously, pulling his collar a little bit.

"And what? celebrate our anniversary with take out and Hudson on our feet? no way" He only noticed how not bad his idea was when he finished saying, but he made a face to show her that he did not want that at all, as good as it sounded.

"Haha. Ok, then. take me out." she grabbed his arm, and they both walked together outside the house. He couldn't help touching his pocket once more to make sure it was there.

They arrived at the restaurant earlier than their reservation, so they had to wait for their table at the bar. he ordered the drinks, wine for her and a martini for him.

"Shaken, not stirred" she joked, and he posed like James Bond.

"Ressler, Donald Ressler." she laughed, and he placed a kiss on her lips. He was enjoying the fact that they were being able to go through the night relaxed and having fun. Inside, he was freaking out, but in a way, he had little doubt that she would say no. to be honest, he didn't like thinking about her answer, because the more he thought about it, the more reasons he found for her to deny him.

The well-dressed hostess called them and lead them to their table about half an hour later, and he had trouble understanding all the fancy dishes. She ordered for him, and they had a nice conversation while waiting for the food. He took her hand over the table and they spent the whole time like this, holding hands and talking. People around them noticed how much in love they looked, and smiled while passing by their table.

One person, though, couldn't just stop by.

"Lizzie! Donald!" the man opened his arms in a welcoming manner, as it was his usual. "What a coincidence." That's what he said, but knowing Reddington as he did, Ressler just did not believe it was a coincidence. The man always knew everything. He might even know about his plans with the evening. and now, he's ruining it.

"Red" Liz was a bit uncomfortable for meeting her protector, but she stood up and gave him a hug.

"So, what are you two lovebirds up to tonight?" He sat down on the third chair next to Lizzie, and signalled to the waiter, ordering a scotch.

"Hun, we're celebrating our anniversary" Donald said, trying to emphasize the 'we do not need you here now Red get lost'. The man probably picked up his annoyance, but as this was his favourite entertainment, he just took the drink from the waiter's tray and turned back to them.

"Oh, that's incredible. You know, I once celebrated my anniversary in Venice, gorgeous night, we had dinner on a boat restaurant, and then took a gondola. The gondoleer sang love songs to us all night, until he lost his balance and we all fell into the canal. As you know those venician canals are filthy, so it's not necessary to say that it ruined the night. We had to take 5 showers to remove the smell. Never saw her again." he looked up, longingly, trying to remember the face of the girlfriend in question. "Well, anyway. Oh, I see you ordered the beuf bourguignon, what a great choice. I'll have the same, and please ask René to make it special for Reddington." of course he knew the chef.

Donald stared at him baffled that the man simply joined them for dinner even after they said they were having a romantic celebration. He looked across the table at Liz, who took a deep breath and just engaged in a conversation with him.

They ate dessert and then Red insisted in paying for the bill. Well, at least one thing after runing his plan, Donald thought.

"You kids be good tonight, alright?" he said, giving Liz a kiss on the cheek. Then, as she went to the parking lot, he held Ressler's arm, holding him back.

"It wasn't the right choice, Donald"

"What?"

"Do you really think Liz deserves a simple dinner proposal? Be more creative, for crying out loud!"

"How do you...?"

"I just gave you an enormous opportunity, Donald. don't wast it. good night" and he went the other way, leaving Ressler behind, still trying to understand.

He took Red's adviced and thought what else could he do to make this moment special. Then he remembered their first date. It was a lovely evening, so he decided it was a good choice to relive that day.

"What about we take a walk?" he suggested, offering his arm. She took it and gave him a smile.

"Sounds nice. Where to?"

"Let's just walk about."

They walked and ended up on the same place as their first date - the Lincoln Memorial. It was nice and with only a few people around. They sat on the stairs and watched the reflex of the city in the water. She leaned her head on his shoulder, and he took a deep breath before starting to talk.

"Liz. I love you."

"I love you too, Don"

"You make me so happy, I never thought I could be this happy." she chuckled, and kept listening, still looking at the pool.

"Everyday I look at you and I look at our house and how far we've come, and I wonder how could I be so lucky? Is is possible for a man to have it all? Because I know I do."

"What are you getting with this, Donald?" she returned to her upright position, looking at him. He took her hands in his, and looked deeply into her eyes, smiling nervously.

"What I mean, Liz is that..." He felt the drop on his nose, and then on his neck, and then the rain started strong enough to make everybody around them run. They stood up and she ran into the memorial, where a few people where gathering, observing the rain.

Donald puffed, disappointed. Maybe it's not supposed to be tonight, he thought. She turned at him, annoyed at the noise the people were making around them, and said: "Let's go home?" He complied and they ran to the car.

Once at home, he knew his plans were ruined. She went straight to the shower and he sat on the couch, petting Hudson and waiting for his turn.

He was upset and wondered what he could do now. He had been carrying that ring for nearly a month now, and it was starting to get heavy. He took the box out of his pocket, and opened it. The diamond glistened with the light, reflecting the blue of his eyes. He smiled faintly, imagining how beautiful it would be on her finger.

She came down the stairs and he closed the box quickly, stowing it away on the couch, between the cushions. She was drying her hair with a towel, wearing a cotton short pajamas with a cute cat on the top, and little hearts all over the shorts. she had no make up on, and he thought he never saw her more beautiful than this.

He dropped to his knees, to her surprise, when she came closer to him.

"Don, what is this?" she put the towel aside and ran her fingers through her we hair, nervous. he spent a few more seconds in silence, observing her, and how much he loved her.

"I thought it was important when I do it or where or how. But the truth is, Liz, that it isn't. As long as you're there, it's special enough."

"Ress, baby..what..."she started to squint, suspecting what he was doing. He reached between the cushions and found the box, and when his hand came out holding it, she covered her mouth with her hands, in shock.

"Elizabeth Scott Keen, will you give me the honor and pleasure of being my wife?"


	14. Intertwined

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> They newly engaged couple skips work and decides to lighten up the holiday spirit

Liz stood there with no reaction for longer than he expected. His knee was hurting and he was almost losing balance. He was also fighting the thoughts that she was taking this time to think of a polite and cute way to say no.

That's when she kneeled in front of him, a big smile on her face, and took the ring from his hand.

"Of course I will, Donald Ressler" and she cupped his face on her hands, pulling him in for a big kiss. They stood up together as they kissed, and he felt a tear drop on his face.

"Liz, baby, what's wrong?" He touched her cheeks as she let more tears flow.

"Nothing, I'm just... So happy. I didn't think I was entitled to this anymore. After all that happened..." she smiled again, it seemed as if nothing in the world could make her stop smiling. He smiled back, giving her a hug. She places small kisses on his neck and they just stood like this for a few more precious minutes.

"Honey, of course you are. All that happened is in the past. Just let it go. Don't think that your life should be ruled by what they accused you of. You are not that person, and you proved it. You're clean; and you deserve to be happy."

"You make me happy" he wiped the tears on her face and kissed her lips softly and slowly.

Finally, she looked at the ring. It was formed of two bands; one golden, one silver, intertwined with heart-shaped diamond placed where the bands connected.

"It's beautiful!" She said, and he took the ring from the box and put it on her finger, then took it and gave it a kiss.

"Now it's even more beautiful"

She captured his lips and they both fell onto the couch. She started taking off his shirt and kissing his chest when he stopped her.

"Liz, I'm still wet from the rain! Let me take a shower first"

"I don't care" she said, and kissed him passionately again.

"Wow! They say that women go crazy for a ring, i didn't think it would be this wild!" He laughed as she pinched his arm.

"Idiot!" She laughed too, kissing his belly and opening the buttons on his pants.

"Well, you're gonna be Mrs. Idiot, then"

She went back up and kissed him in the mouth again.

"Shut up and make love to me, Mr idiot"

"Right away, Mrs idiot!"

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

He woke up with the sun on his face. The window remained open last night, and now the bright light from the outside blinded him. He stood up and closed the curtains, and the room went from bright lit to a comfortable dimmed light, and the only thing glistening was the diamond on her finger. She was sleeping on her belly, her hand above her head.

He went back to bed and kissed her bare back, slowly waking her up.

She grunted and turned her head to him, and smiled as he tucked her hair behind her ear.

"Hey" she said, sleepy.

"Hi. Time to wake up"

"Oh, no! Already?"

He laughed "yep. It's 6:20"

"Can't we go in later? We've just become engaged."

"That's not a reason to have a free morning, Liz"

"Let's elope then. That will be a reason, right?"

He could hardly bare how cute she was sleepy. "Good to know you would elope with me just to sleep in" she giggled.

He leaned down to kiss her face, placing small kisses on her forehead, eyes, nose and cheek before getting to the lips. When he got there she pulled him closer, and they entwined their bodies in a way he knew she would win.

"Hey" she said again, laughing at her victory.

"You're wicked" he said, caressing her back and kissing her neck.

"And you'll marry me" He loved the thought of her as his wife. They already lived together, and they were good at it, with a good synchronicity, accepting each other's flaws and habits and pet peeves. She took a long time in the bathroom, He left dishes around in the living room, she was a bit messy in her closet, he forgot the lights on sometimes. Now, he would have her as his wife. Not much would change in their dynamics. Just the legal part, he presumed, and the weight. My wife, this is Liz, my wife. He liked the sound of that.

"How do you want to do it?" He rested his head on his folded arm, looking at her. She bit her lip and looked up, thinking.

"I don't know. To be honest, it wasn't in my plans to marry twice." She thought of her wedding with Tom. It was a simple ceremony, with Sam giving her away. She sighed at the memory, wishing he could be here to give her away again, this time for good. She wondered if she would have to walk herself in.

"I was thinking maybe in the country. My family owns a very big country house and a cousin of mine married there, it was very beautiful."

She smiled at him, finding it extremely cute that he had wedding dreams.

'So you have plans for our wedding already?" she grinned, and he blushed a little. "Tell me!"

"Well, I was thinking of doing it in the fall, because the trees look beautiful yellow and orange and it would also give us nearly a year to prepare, which is good. no reason to rush, right?"

"Right"

"and we could have like a vintage country decoration, and a big party after that. It would be very intimate, few people, not too fancy, but beautiful. And you would be wearing a big white dress, and your hair would be decorated with flowers."

"I like that" she smiled. "I like your plan"

"Really?" he smiled back, surprised and happy that she liked his idea. "I'll call uncle Jerry, then, see if they agree to let me show you the house. and then we can decide if it's the right place or not." She nodded, happily. He was so excited with the idea. She had already been married. she had her wedding, big white dress and all, so she wasn't really expecting to have another. In a way, she was scared at all that. But now, looking at him so excited, she loved the idea. she wanted the big white dress and the flowers and the leaves falling and the light breeze of autumn just as he described. And she wanted him, oh, she wanted him.

"I don't know much about your family. " she said, and it was true. They never spoke much about it. She knew that he had 2 brothers and his parents lived in Florida, but not much else. "Tell me about them"

"Well, this house, it belongs to my uncle Jerry. He has 2 kids, Marjorie and Bill, both married now. He is my mom's brother, and he's kinda rich."

"What about on your father's side?"

"He was an only child, and I never met my grandparents. He was kind of adopted by my mom's side when they got married. He became a cop and lived his whole life doing the right thing. He died on the job, well, it's a long story. But my mom remarried and then moved to Cocoa Beach." He puffed, remembering how much he hated that place.

"We must go there someday. I need to meet them."

"Yeah, you do. They will love you. They were convinced I was going to die alone and my mom was so devastated when Audrey died because she truly believed it was my only chance of tying the knot"

"You haven't told them about me?"

"Of course I have! She's dying to meet you. I'm the one who's not dying to go to Florida right now."

"Still, we need to go before the wedding"

"Yeah, ok" he opens a smile when hearing her say 'wedding'. It was so surreal. After all they went through, him hunting her as she was accused of being a terrorist, he would never think then that now they would be sharing a bed, a house, a life. He suffered so much with her absence, it was so hard to see her on the opposite side, he never wanted to feel that way again. All of a sudden he pulls her in and giver her a passionate kiss, rolling them over so he's on top of her.

"Wow! What was that for?" She asks, while ruffling through his hair. Looking deeply into his eyes, she finds sadness, and takes his face between her hands, caressing his cheek.

"What is it, Donald?"

"I love you so much, you know?"

She smiles "I love you too, babe"

"No, you don't get it. I've love you for a long time. When I let you go that first time, I loved you then. I loved you throughout the entire hunt, it nearly killed me, Liz. I don't want to sound like a creeper here, but I don't ever want to lose you again"

"And what makes you think you will? You're stuck with me, Donald Ressler, you put me in shackles, remember?" He widened his eyes, thinking that she was talking about when he arrested her, but then she showed her finger with the ring to him.

"I don't think you get it, Ress. I missed you so much too, and when you took me in, I knew you would keep me safe. I wanted to hate you, wanted you to be wrong and fall at your feet, but I couldn't. I loved you, then. I trusted you when I knew I shouldn't, I put my life in your hands. I love you like I never loved anyone."

He smiled and caressed her face, taking the hair off her face and kissing her with all the love he got.

"I'm going to call in and tell Cooper we'll be home today. I want to stay with you." He said, as he intertwined his fingers in hers and raised her arm above her head. Her other hand was still ruffling his hair, while she closed her eyes and breathed in, gasping for air as he moved.

They found their rhythm, and moved together until they both reached the edge. He came off of her, rolling to his side of the bed and opening his arm to take her in, her head resting on his chest.

"I'd like that" she replied, panting, as he reached his phone on the side of the bed.

xxxxxxxxxxx

He hung up knowing that it was the worst excuse he could've ever created, and that Cooper knew that also, but the director was nice enough to give them that, and said they would be called in case any emergency happened.

He turned to face Liz, who was grinning from ear to ear.

"What?" He smiled.

"You know what we could do? We could go get some Christmas decorations!"

"Christmas? Really? It's November!"

"It's already time for Christmas. It should always be time for Christmas."

"I didn't know you were that excited about Christmas!"

"Well, I am, so we're gonna go get a tree and ornaments and a wreath and lights, lots of lights!"

He laughed and then pulled her in for a kiss.

"You're too cute, Mrs Claus. Ok then, that's the plan."

xxxxxxxxxxxx

She entered the house excited, carrying lots of bags while he came behind trying to drag inside a very big pine tree.

"Why did we have to have it this big, Liz? Why not a fake one? We could save it for next year!"

"Are you insane? no! C'mon, just bring it in."

"I think my fingers are numb" he complained, and she dropped the bags with the decoration on the floor, then went to help him. They dragged the tree inside and then put it up on a corner next to the window in the living room. Hudson just observe, quietly.

"Don't even think about it" she pointed a finger at the dog "this tree is supposed to be up and untouched throughout the holiday season, do you hear?" the dog whimpered and then went to sit on the armchair.

"So what should I do now?" he asked as she untied the branches of the tree and arranged them so they would go back to their original place. She then stepped aside and looked at it, analyzing where to start setting the decorations. "Take the bags for me, hon. I think we should start with the red ones, use them mostly on the bottom."

He opened the box with the red ornaments, and gave her one by one carefully as she tied them to the branches. Next it was a set of golden balls, then little presents, snow flakes and stars. She finished with a long string of white lights, and a big star on the top. She turned the lights on, and it looked beautiful.

"Yes, that's the thing" she said to herself, and he couldn't help laughing.

"You really love it, don't you?"

"c'mon, don't mock me! I'm sure there's a holiday you're over excited about." he stopped to think about it, and then remembered how much he loved halloween. It had been very hard to hold his excitement this past one, because he didn't know how she would react if he revealed that he liked to decorate the whole house and create a little play to entertain the trick or treaters. Next one, though, he would compensate for all the Christmas mania.

"Ok, now what?"

"Pass me that long garland, I'll put it here on the mantelpiece." she hang the green garland over the entire fireplace, and then remembered something and ran upstairs without explaining to Don. He stood there puzzled as she returned with a box in her hands.

"Me and Sam used to have this tradition. Instead of stockings, we would put up little boxes with our names" she opened the box and revealed two small boxes decorated with the colors of Christmas, and they had a tag written in a child's handwriting "Lizzie" and "Dad"."It's a very silly thing, I think that year he didn't have money to buy these fancy stocking that you can engrave your names on. But it became our thing. Do you mind?" she asked, and he took the boxes from her and put them up on the mantel, hers next to her dad's.

"I made one for you" she said, and then went to the cupboard next to the tv and took a brand new box written Don on it. "thank you. I never told anyone about this. Not even Tom. we used to decorate the fireplace only with garlands and wreath. Thanks for allowing me to bring this back."

He felt honored as she put his box next to hers. "It's an honor, Liz, really."

They finished it with more lights, and then went outside to hang a big and beautiful wreath on the door.

Then, they turned off the lights of the living room and sat down on the couch, observing the Christmas light turn on and off in a beautiful dance, as they snuggled in and had hot cocoa.

"I might be starting to love Christmas too" he said, giving her a kiss on the head.


	15. Jingle Bells!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Liz and Ressler throw a Christmas party for their friends, and they are in for a little Christmas present.

She came into the house with a lot of bags, it was hard to open the door. She took the day off to prepare the christmas dinner. As she saw all the ingredients laying on the kitchen table, she already regretted inviting everyone. She had no idea

How to begin.

"You might want to defrost the turkey first" a voice from heaven came from the window. It was Eliza, the neighbor. Liz opened the backdoor for her and the woman came in with her usual tray of goods at hand.

"Here. Some _"pão de queijo"_ , or cheese bread, if you want, although I don't think it's the same.

It wasn't. Whatever that little ball of heaven was, it was delicious. But then somehow it became extremely disgusting.

Liz grunted as the bread hit her stomach and made her feel bad, and her neighbor just took a glance at her.

"Are you okay, dear?"

"Yes, yes, sure. Thank you" she left the uneaten bread on the table. It was strange, she had eaten another tray of those a few days ago and nothing happened, and it was weird to think that Eliza would have used bad ingredients.

"So, what's the plan?" She pulled her sleeves up, observing the ingredients on the table with a much more determined look than Liz was using before.

"Christmas dinner, for my friends. Or something similar, at least."

"Hum. How many people?"

Liz counted silently "9"

"Make it 10, then. More is better than less. Okay. Put the turkey inside cold water to thaw it"

"Cold? Are you sure? Shouldn't it be warm?"

"Do you want to cook it? No, my dear, I can see that you and your kitchen are not very friendly, hun? Leave it to me"

And the woman started giving orders and pointing and cutting and slicing and roasting, and Liz couldn't be more thankful for her. She observed closely and asked questions, trying to learn, and most times she wished she had a notebook or a camera to register the details.

"Leave the salt always for last. You never know how seasoned it will be only with the spices."

There were details that Liz was sure she was going to forget, but she was cherishing each moment of that afternoon. She thought that's what spending time with your mother must be like. The thought hurt a little, but it was also a happy moment. She wondered if one day she would be able to have moments like this with her own kid.

By 5pm, all was ready and stowed away and the turkey was roasting in the oven. The smell was at the same time delicious and nauseating. She tried to ignore the bad feeling.

"Ok, you're all set here, my dear. I have to go now."

"Oh please, come and have dinner with us!"

The woman thanked, but refused. "My son is picking me up for dinner with his family soon. He lives in New Jersey. My daughter in law decided to cook everything tonight. Let's see" she shrugged, and that made Liz laugh. As she was leaving, Liz felt too sick to ignore it and ended up puking in the sink."

"Oh, god, I'm sorry! I don't know what happened, I was fine before" she tried not to hint that it had been the bread Eliza brought, but the woman opened a smile and hugged her.

"Oh dear! That's amazing! How many months?"

Liz looked at her quizzically "uh, months...what?"

"Pregnant, silly!"

Liz laughed, half surprised and half scared at the thought. "No. I'm not pregnant!"

"You know, when I was pregnant with Diego I used to have nausea all the time, even the smallest thing made me run to the bathroom. I lived of crackers for weeks" she put her hand on Liz's belly "you should check this out! Don't forget, just 40 more minutes than turn it off, ok? Merry christmas, my dear"

And just like that, left, leaving Liz holding her belly, with a terrified look on her face.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

People arrived in pairs, first Samar and Aram and then Harold and Charlene Cooper, and by 8pm the house was all noisy with laughter and chatting. Liz decided not to share Eliza's suspicious with Don, as it would probably freak him out. Instead she put her dress on and tried to look as normal as possible, despite the fact that she was still feeling a bit nauseous. She was also avoiding alcohol, just in case, but he didn't seem to have noticed.

Red was the last to arrive with Dembe, and as the big man gave her a hug, Red came inside the house looking around and started making comments.

"I still don't understand why you changed that apartment for this house, Lizzie, honestly. I mean, I understand the appeal, but..." He came closer to her, his cologne making her gag a little "if this was Donald's idea we can..."

"No, Red, the house was my idea. Don even had a moment with the shower as he learned we wouldn't be able to install one here."

He shrugged and then came into the house, greeting everyone. She observed from afar as they all talked and drank together. It was surely weird to have a group of FBi agents sharing dinner with a criminal like Red, but it was also all so peaceful. She felt a growl in her stomach and noticed she was hungry, so hungry. Donald approached her slowly, huggging her from the side.

"Hey, what's on your mind?"

"I'm hungry." she said, leaning her head on his shoulder, their hands intertwined together over her belly. She opened a light smile thinking about what could possibly be inside there. But she needed food.

"Let's go! I'll set the table"

The table was beautiful, all decorated with Christmas figures, and the dinner was delicious. Everyone congratulated Liz for the cooking, and she felt bad and confessed that she had help.

"I need to meet this neighbor" said Aram, taking another slice of the turkey.

They all laughed and talked and ate and drank, while Liz just observed, eating a lot more than she was used to.

"Liz, are you okay?" Asked Samar as she took her third slice.

"U-hum" she nodded, her mouth full of rice.

When it was time for dessert, she put the tray of gingerbread cookies on the table with one in her mouth and two on her hands, and then took a few more before people started to get it for themselves. The pudin that Eliza left was also attacked by Liz, and even the panettone with dried fruits didn't escape her, and she doesn't like raisins that much.

Everybody noticed that she was a bit off, but no one said anything, afraid they would hurt her feelings. At the end of the party, people was saying their goodbyes and then Charlene Cooper called Donald aside.

"Donald, I'm not sure, but my sister, she was feeling a bit too hungry once, just like Liz, and then she found out she was pregnant with my niece. I think maybe you should check it out, you know."

Donald widened his eyes and held his breath at the idea. He thanked Charlene for the tip but remained at the door static, taking it in.

When he went back inside, Liz was organizing things and cleaning the dishes for the dishwasher.

"Hey, babe." He said, frowning, leaning at the door.

"Yep?" She replied, not turning to look at him.

"Are you... Ok?" He tried not to sound too concerned about her.

"Yes, all good, why?"

"Nothing, it's just that back there, you were... Um... Very hungry, right?"

"Oh, yes! It was all so delicious, right? Remind me of buying Eliza a gift, please."

"Sure, sure..."

He scratched his head nervously as she went back and forth bringing the things from the table to the kitchen.

"Are you just going to stand there?" She said, and placed a few cups on his hands.

He helped her and then noticed that her wine glass had remained empty.

"Hon, didn't you drink wine tonight?"

"What? Oh, no. Wasn't feeling up for it." She said, and then ran away to the kitchen. He went after her.

"Liz. Are you pregnant?"

She stopped fiddling with the dishes in the sink and took a deep breath before turning around to face him.

"Oh, I don't know. I've felt sick all day and then I was so hungry, I..."

"Charlene said her sister was like this when she was pregnant" he came closer to her, and she covered her eyes with her hand, pensive.

"Yeah, Eliza told me the same. I don't know, Donald"

"Have you tried, you know... A test?" He didn't know what to do, inside he was a big mess of emotions.

"Well, I was cooking so I didn't have time to go to a drugstore"

"Do you want me to?"

"No! Look, it must only be stress, I was going insane with this dinner tonight I barely ate in the afternoon, ok? It's probably it. It's late now, it's christmas night, let's not worry about this, ok?"

He looked worried at her, but accepted.

"Ok. Let's go to sleep. tomorrow we stop by a drugstore and get a test." She said, nervously. He shook his head in agreement.

They both went back to bed, but stood there on their backs looking at the ceiling, thinking about the situation and how it could change their lives forever.

Liz was excited. She wanted to adopt first, but it wasn't necessarily a rule. She wanted to be a mom.

Besides, a baby made by her and Ressler would be the cutest thing in the world, and she could already picture the freckles and blue eyes.

For Ressler, it was a little bit scarier than that. He had never dreamed about babies before, but that was then, when he was a single lonely man living for the job. Now he had Liz, and she was the most precious thing in the world for him. And a baby would just certify that. But the thought of him being a father, caring for a baby, educating a child was just so scary. He felt thankful that Liz was already ready to be a mom. She would know what to do and he would just follow the lead.

"Babe," she whispered, still staring at the ceiling.

"Yeah"

"Are you sleeping?"

"No."

"You know, there's a 24 hour drugstore over..."

"Yeah, I'll go get it"

And he stood up on a jump, got dressed and went out.

He came back with the test and she got so nervous she couldn't pee. She had to drink a lot of water as he was trying to relax and distract her.

She went out of the bathroom silent, holding the stick between her fingers. She placed it on the bed side table, and then turned away from it.

"Oh God! I'm so nervous!"

He held her arms to comfort her.

"Hey! Listen to me, I just want you to know that I love you, and whatever that stick shows, I'll be there for you, you know that, right?"

"U-hum" she nodded, so nervous she was nearly hyperventilating. He helped her breathe and she bursted out laughing.

"What?"

"It's like we're already doing Lamaze" he grinned, saving the word to research later. He had no idea what happened in Lamaze.

"Ok. Is it time?"

"I guess. Do we look on three?"

"Alright. One... Two... Three." And they both stood up side by side in front of the little plastic stick that would change their lives forever. She looked at it and bit her lip, squeezing his hand. He took a deep breath, and then took her into his arms.

"Oh God!" She cried, tears coming out of her eyes almost immediately. Then, she opened a smile.

"We're gonna be parents" he said, opening a smile himself.


	16. Revenge

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tom comes back, and that can only mean problems!

It was really cold outside. It was mid-january, and the snow was coming down. He arrived at home and heard the music coming loud from the kitchen, and felt warm already. He took off his coat, gloves and scarf and followed the music, stopping at the door to observe her as she jumped and danced around with the tune.

_"We were close never close enough_

_Baby are we now_

_'Cause if it's torn we can stitch it up_

_Don't rule it out_

_Oh no no I'll come around"_

As the song progressed to the chorus she turned around and saw him standing there. She stopped and smiled at him, and then kept singing, pointing at him.

_"If you ever want to be in love_

_I'm not waiting, but I'm willing if you call me up_

_If you ever want to be in love_

_I'll come around"_

He approached her, taking her hand and pulling her close. They both laugh as their bodies collided, then danced together to the rhythm of the song. It ended soon after, and a slow one started. they slowed down, eye to eye, swaying together side to side.

"Hey!" she said, and put a kiss on his lips.

"So you're having fun, hun?" He scorned. She had been released earlier as they had a pretty slow day today, but he had to stay behind to finish up some paperwork about the Cabal case.

"I cooked!" she said, happy, but he frowned, as he knew she wasn't the best cook in the world."Eliza came over and gave me some tips" she said, slapping him on the forehead. they were still swaying to the song, and in a sudden movement he turned her around and kissed her.

"Can't wait. It smells delicious. What is it?"

"stroganoff. it isn't too difficult, I guess I can make it my specialty." He smiled as she left him to go back to the stove. She was checking on the pans and then took a sip from a wine glass. His face went dark immediately.

"Liz, are you drinking wine?"

She turned, confused, but then understood and smiled. "Of course not, silly. It's grape juice. I just put it in this glass because I wanted the feeling. I kinda miss it."

He sighed relieved. "How's our boy?" she hummed.

"What if it's a girl?"

"Okay, then? How is he/she?" he rolled his eyes and then put his hands over her belly as she approached.

"Fine. I didn't feel sick today, I think we're getting past that, which is good. I miss good food." she put her hands around his neck, and then sat on his lap.

"That's good." he was still caressing her belly, marvelled with the idea that there was someone growing inside it. She sat in silence, shaking her head to the sound of the music, and he thought that it couldn't get any better than that.

"Uh...Liz, honey? Something's burning" It really wasn't, but she was so deep into the song that she forgot she was cooking, and he decided to mess with her.

"wha? Oh, no!" she jumped out of her moment and went startled to the pans, and after checking it was all alright, threw a towel at him.

"Very funny, Donald" she said, as he laughed.

Their happy moment was interrupted by the doorbell. He stood up, threw her back the towel and went to the door.

What he saw when he opened was completely unexpected.

"Hey, Donnie" Tom said, winking at Don, who was completely shocked. "Can I come in?"

It had been more than a year after the last time they saw Tom, or even heard of him. Ressler gave way for him to step into the house as Liz came from the kitchen.

"Tom? What...what are you doing here?"

"Hey Liz. You look beautiful!" he commented, eyes gazing at her.

"Start talking, Keen."

Tom turned slowly to look at Ressler, who had assumed his FBI position, hands on his hips and serious look. Tom decided to play with that defensive a little.

"Wow, it smells good in here."

"I'm cooking" Liz smiled. She wasn't helping, Don thought.

"No way! you? really?"

"Stop it! We have a great neighbor and she is teaching me some recipes."

"Wow! talk about a miracle worker!" they were playing with each other, and that annoyed Ressler more than usual.

"Hey! I'm sure you're not here to remember the old times. Either you start talking or you're out of here" he screamed, and both of them looked at each other, feeling guilty.

"I'm being chased."

"Tell me something new!"

"Hey! I've been living a nice regular and legal life in New Mexico, ok? But I learned that there's a reward for my head."

Ressler frowned. "Why would someone want your head?" he asked, thinking that he could be a good suspect.

"Well, it's a long story."

"So you know who it is, Tom?" Liz asked, actually worried.

"Yes. When you were on the run, I had to find Karakurt and my channel to get to him was this rich playboy called Asher Sutton. Asher was involved with the Russians, he was fighting illegal boxing. He got in trouble after a fight and I helped him, so I gained his and his fianceé's trust. They took me to the Russians, but they got us first, and made us fight." He looked down, and Liz already knew what was going on. "I was forced to kill him."

Ressler chuckled. "Forced? Or did you kill him because he wasn't of any use anymore and then you needed to prove your worth?"

Tom approached him really close, in a menacing position. "I was forced. I didn't want to kill him, I actually liked the guy. Yes, I had to survive that mess so I could get to Karakurt. and there was no other deal."

"Now his fianceé wants revenge." Liz guessed right, as he nodded.

"Yes. Gwen. Quite a girl, she is" he opened a smile, clearly thinking about her. "She didn't like me from the start, but she gave me her trust as I promised to keep him alive. and I didn't. somehow I deserve what she's doing. But I really don't want to die."

"What do we have to do with it?" Ressler asked.

"Well, I can't just go to the police for protection, can I? So I took a chance, maybe you can help me find her. After that I'll handle her."

"What are you going to do, Tom?" Liz looked worried.

"No, I won't kill her, if that's what you're thinking. I'll talk to her. She's hurt. I need to say that I had no other way, and I did my best to keep him safe."

"and she'll cancel the bond?"

"Or she will kill me herself. Good chance to try your luck, Don."

Ressler grunted, and then thought about it. It would be actually interesting to know what was going on in Karakurt's life before he decided to confess, and what Tom had done to help Liz. "Ok, come by tomorrow morning and I'll take the case to the task-force"

"Great. thanks. so, can I get some of this wonderful dinner?" Ressler and Liz looked at each other, and knew that they wouldn't get rid of him so soon.

They sat on the table, and as she brought the food, Tom noticed the diamond on her finger.

"Nice rock you got there, Liz." She looked at it, then smiled and looked at Donald.

"Oh, it is, isn't it?"

"Good choice, Donald" he said, nodding to Ressler with a respectful look. "So when's the wedding?"

"Oh, we haven't decided yet. Maybe after..." She stopped, not knowing if it was a good thing to tell Tom.

"After? after what?" He asked, absentminded, as he served his plate with rice and meat.

"After the baby comes" she said, her voice low. Tom stopped and stood up, going straight to hug her.

"That's great, Liz. You'll finally get your dream. You deserve it!" and he placed a kiss on her cheek. Then came back to his seat and started eating.

"Oh, hey! that's delicious!" Ress and Liz looked at each other and understood that that was probably the craziest story they would ever tell their kids, even worse than living with uncle Reddington.

After Tom left, they sat on the couch, radio on, lights off, and snuggled together to relax. She had her wine glass with grape juice as he drank a beer.

"Are you really going to help him?" She asked, placing her head on the crook oh his neck as he took another sip of his beer.

"Yeah, well. It seems an interesting lead to find out more about the case of Karakurt, and besides, seeing Tom being threatened by a grieving woman, why would I miss that?" she chuckled.

They stayed in silence, listening to the songs go by and the night grow darker. She was nearly falling asleep as she called him again.

"As he said, I'm finally getting my dream. And I'm glad I'm getting it with you." he smiled, and then stood up and took her up on his arms, taking her to their bedroom.

Once there, he placed her carefully on their bed and then gave her a passionate kiss.

"We should get some sleep. Tomorrow will be a long day. We'll have Tom."

She smiled, and kissed him again, pulling him close so he would lie beside her.


	17. Cravings

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Liz has to deal with the pregnancy perks, like cravings in the middle of the night and the fact that no one remembered her birthday.

She came home exhausted. Her baby bump was starting to get in the way of all the action and she knows that soon Cooper will put her on desk duty. She doesn't want that, it's not like she's sick, but she also knows it's not good for the baby to be in constant danger all the time.

She nearly trips as Hudson comes to greet her by rubbing himself on her legs, and she kneels down to pet the dog before awkwardly standing up and more awkwardly drag herself to the sofa.

When she crashes on the cushions she closes her eyes, feeling every inch of her body relax in contact with the comfy couch and she lets go a tired moan.

He comes right behind her, carring the bags with the food. He dodges Hudson and puts the bags on the coffee table. The dog puts his head on his lap, begging for attention, and only after he ruffles the top of his head does Hudson let him go.

"Liz, honey. Are you okay?" she puts her hand on his knee and then leans her body against his. He opens his arms to welcome her, and kisses the top of her head.

"I'm tired, that's all".

"You shouldn't be going out on the field." He shakes his head, worried, and she is nearly sleeping.

"Nah, don't worry. I'm fine."

"Liz, we were shot at! It's not only about you anymore. the vest nearly covers your belly anymore." She breaths in, she knows he's right, but still she doesn't like the idea of being reduced to a research agent, even if it is temporary.

"Alright, okay. I'll talk to Cooper. Happy now?"

"Always" he smiles, knowing that she finds it extremely annoying when he worries about her and the baby. "Don't sleep, babe. We need to eat. Aren't you hungry?"

"Mmm" she purrs and moves to put her arms around him, resting her head on his shoulder."Not really, no."

"C'mon Liz, you need to eat." he taps her arm lightly, and she opens her eyes relunctantly. She sits up and observes as he opens the boxes and then frowns.

"I don't want this" she complains, and he looks at her perplexed.

"You were the one that suggested Wing wee's!"

"I know. But I don't want it anymore" she looks at him with sad puppy eyes, and he laughs at her childish attitude. Lately she's been having these weird cravings that comes and goes with food, and it's impossible to know what she will or not eat.

"C'mon. None of these?" He finishes opening the other boxes, and she uses the chopsticks to poke the food.

"Well, I might try something" she is not happy, but for his sake she makes an effort. The food is good, she loves Chinese, but the baby is so demanding. The moment she starts eating a desperate craving comes to her.

"Oh my GOD! Do you know what I want, like, now? Raspberries!"

"Raspberries? really?"

"Yeah! Will you go and buy some for me?"

"But Liz, we just went by the supermarket. Really?" He was so tired, the last thing he wanted was to go out again. She used her puppy eyes again, and there was nothing he would ever deny to them.

"Can I at least go after we eat?"

"No! I want them now!" He shook his head, took a bite off an egg roll and then got his coat and left.

"I love you!" she screamed as he went away, and he grunted, although inside he was smiling. He was happy to go after her crazy cravings.

When he came back, she had eaten nearly all the food.

"For someone who was complaining about the food, you dug in pretty nicely, hun?"

"I was hungry" she said, her mouth still full with an egg roll. He got the box with noodles and started eating before she finished with them. He was starving, and not in the mood to go out again.

"Where are they?" she asked, anxious. He laughed at her eagerness towards the raspberries.

"calm down, monster! They are here. It was hell to find. I had to go to three supermarkets. I don't know why." He gave her the bag with the fruit, and she immediately opened the box and started eating them.

"Thank God you found them." He laughed at her as she filled her mouth with the little fruit and savoured each of them.

"You know, I'm craving something else now" he put down the empty box and searched for leftovers on the other boxes, looking at her judgementally.

"What now, Liz?" he couldn't avoid sounding a bit annoyed. After all, it was late, he was tired, and wanted to stay home. She came closer and put her head on his neck, giving it small kisses and snuggling in like a cat.

"You. I'm craving you." she said, and he opened a smile, relieved. He looked down to find her eyes, and then took her head on his hands, giving her a kiss on the lips.

"That one is easy to solve, hun." she smiled mid-kiss and then kissed him deeply, moving to go on top of him when he stopped her.

"Honey, no. what?"

"what?"

"The baby, Liz."

"The doctor said there is no problem. besides, I miss you! unless you don't want me anymore because I look like a small planet."

He laughed out loud when she said it, and then took her to sit on his lap. "There's absolutely nothing in the universe that will ever make me not want you, my little planet. I just worry about the baby"

"Well, I asked Dr. Morris. He said that as our baby is developing well, sex will not harm her at all."

"wait, her?" he stopped her, and she covered her mouth startled as she realized what she had said. "Do you know it's a girl already?" He looked at her shocked to know that she found out the sex of the baby and didn't tell him.

"Oh, I just found out this morning! and then we went after the suspect and all that and I just...forgot. I'm sorry, I'm sorry!" she went to kiss him all over his head to apologize.

"Ok, ok!" he stopped her attack and then they faced each other."So we're having a baby girl, hun?" he smiled, and she smiled back.

"Yes. My dream will come true. I'll have my baby girl." she was so happy tears came to her eyes and rolled down her face. He wiped them with his thumb and then kissed her passionately, lowering them so they would lie down on the sofa, her on top of him.

He was caressing her back and belly under her shirt as she opened his shirt and then went to kiss his chest.

"What are we going to call her?" he asked, and she moaned, understanding that nothing else would happen now, but she kept kissing him.

"Any ideas?"

"I always liked Olive." he suggested, and she grunted.

"I'm not going to name my daughter with something I find in my fridge" she complained, and he laughed.

"Oh, ok then. Your turn."

she stopped kissing his neck and squinted while she was thinking.

"I like Caroline, or Jessica. Names with a nice nickname."

"Hum. Like Elizabeth" she laughed.

"Exactly. I don't know. I think it's a very difficult decision to be made right now. I need some time to think."

"Okay. Maybe with time I can convince you about Olive" She rolled her eyes as he moved up to capture her lips on his, holding his hand on the back of her head as the other explored the rest of her body.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

They woke up and the night was nearly over outside. she looked at her watch to find out it was already 3:45am, and they were still on the couch. They fell asleep there together, and now it was all a mess. Hudson had eaten the rest of the food left on the boxes, and they were all over the floor. So was great part of the raspberries. She sat up slowly, still sleepy, and tried to wake him up.

"Don. Hey, wake up. Let's go to bed" He sat up next to her, his legs around her. He put his arms around her torso and kissed her shoulder as he slowly woke up and understood the scene.

"Wow. What time is it?"

"Almost 4. C'mon." she tapped his knee to let her go, but he only snuggled her in closer.

"Do you know what that means?" he said, his voice muffled by her hair as he kissed her neck."Happy birthday, babe."

"Oh, wow!" she chuckled. she barely remembered her birthday was coming up, and had totally forgotten it was today. "Thanks. I don't even know if I want to celebrate it."

"Why not?" he said, surprised.

"Oh well, not that I mind, but I'll probably just get stuff for the baby, and it won't really be about me. So I guess there's no need to bother."

"Don't be silly. We can go somewhere fancy to dinner. I'll celebrate you"

"I know you will. Now c'mon, I'm tired and I really want to get some sleep before we have to go to work" They both stood up, and just ignored the mess and went to bed. they could clean it up later.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

When she arrived at the post office later that day, she was surprised to see that no one else remembered her birthday. In a way, it was good. People was just minding their business and she wasn't being constantly interrupted for hugs and kisses. But she also felt a bit upset.

When Red arrived to talk about the case, she thought he would start the rush of "happy birthday's", but he didn't say a thing.

"So I imagine yesterday's incursion was just good enough to let him know we are on to him and to put Liz on harm's way" Reddington started already telling off the group, since their raid on a house where the suspect lived was of no use. He escaped easily, and they were shot at.

"Anyway" he brushed them off, ignoring their attempt to justify the option they had made." He is smart, but not so much. My sources say that he will be attempting to leave the country later tonight. If you are a bit smarter, you can outsmart him and get him at the hangar."

"Please, Reddington, give the details, we need to know more. Who's your source?" said Cooper, to what Red laughed and pointed him with his index finger.

"Nice one, Harold. Of course I will not give my contact up if I want it to still be my contact in the future. Besides, it will not be that interesting for the bureau to know about this person. All I can say is that he's going for a private jet at 5pm tonight."

Cooper puffed and then let everybody go. "Ok, everyone. Get ready, we need a plan."

Everybody went back to their business and Liz and Ressler went to their room. She was upset.

"Hey, babe, what's up?" he noticed her face, and she puffed, then pouted.

"Nobody remembered." he already knew what it was about.

"C'mon, Liz. Everybody has been busy. Give them a break. Besides, didn't you say you didn't want to celebrate?"

"That doesn't mean I don't want happy birthdays." She complained, and he laughed before kissing her on the cheek.

C'mon. Help me out with this. You know Red more than anyone. What else would he be willing to give up?"

"I don't want to talk to him. He didn't remember!"

"Liz, please." She knew he was right, and rolled her eyes before going to talk to Red.

He remained completely nonchalant all their conversation, telling what he knew about the suspect and his plans to escape, and nothing else. She started to feel suspicious. No way would he completely forget about her birthday. Maybe... She decided to let it go, and give them a chance.

They got to the hangar right on time and this time were able to catch the suspect, who ended up being truly the Boxer. They closed the case, finished the reports and by 7pm they were all going home.

"Hey, where do you want to go?" Ressler asked, putting his things away in a drawer and getting ready to go.

"Nowhere. Let's just go home. Maybe I can cook something."

"Are you sure, Liz? We can go anywhere. It's your birthday."

"Nah. It doesn't matter. I'm tired anyway. I need my couch. Let's go." They left and she didn't even notice that the war room was empty.

The ride home took longer than usual, because Ressler decided to take a different route that ended up in heavy traffic.

"Why would you go through here?" she complained, as they were completely motionless for 5 minutes.

"I heard it was faster. Sorry" he said, hiding a grin.

When they got home, she opened the door and jumped when a lot of people inside screamed "Surprise!".

"Oh my god!" she said, holding her chest to calm her heart. Donald came behind her laughing and holding her steady.

"Are you ok?" he said, and she slapped his shoulder.

"You knew?"

"Of course I knew!" he said, as she went to hug everyone. Reddington was the first one in line, holding his arms open to welcome her in a strong embrace, as usual.

"Lizzy, my love. Happy birthday!" he gave her a kiss on the cheek that made her blush, and then she went on to hug Dembe, then Samar, Aram and the Coopers.

She went inside to see her dinner table filled with good food and sweets, and a big red velvet cake in the center. They all had a lovely night talking and spending time together, and when she opened the presents, she was surprised to see that they were all for her.

Samar and Aram gave her a book, the Coopers gave her a dress, and Dembe brought her a beautiful red rose. Reddington, of course, was the flashy one with diamond earrings. they were small but heart-shaped and beautiful.

"Thanks! thanks everyone. Really. I couldn've have wished for a more perfect birthday!" she said, as she rubbed her belly, feeling her ultimate gift right there as the baby girl kicked her from the inside.

When they all left it was already late, because they all helped her and Donald clean the house. They were finally alone, and it was already midnight. He sat next to her on the sofa and passed her a box.

"What's this?" she said, with a smile.

"My present."

"oh, Don. You shouldn't have!"

"open it!" she opened the box slowly and then found a beautiful chain golden necklace, with a small pendant shaped like a girl, and a small red gem where the heart should be. It was beautiful.

"Oh, Don! Oh my God! it's beautiful, honey!" he took the necklace from the box and she turned around so he could put it on her. She kept looking down and touching it, mesmerized. "Thank you! thank you so much! I love you!" She leaned forward to kiss him.

"Did you like your party?"

"yes" she nodded. "Thanks"

"You're welcome babe. I love you."

She felt her phone in her pocket as it vibrated, and when she pulled it out she saw that it was Tom calling.

"Tom?" she asked, and he immediately replied.

"Hey Liz! happy birthday, hon."

"oh, thanks, Tom."

"Have you had a good day?" he sounded as if he was in the open, probably walking. His voice was far away.

"yes. I had a surprise birthday party. It was great. Where are you?" she was getting annoyed by the sounds around him.

"I'm not in the country. Sorry I missed your party. But I got a lead on where to find Gwen. Could you pass me over to Donald, please?"

She was genuinely surprised by that, and passed the phone to Ressler.

"Tom. He wants to talk to you. Have you been searching that girl with him?"

He took the phone from her, and made a guilty face. "Yes. Sorry I didn't tell you, but it wasn't really much." he said, and then stood up to talk to Tom.

After about 5 minutes he returned and gave her back her phone.

"He's in Italy. She is there, apparently. I'll be leaving tomorrow to meet him."

"Ok. I'll go too."

"No way. We have no idea what to expect from this girl, and don't forget that we may be after her, but she is also after him with bounty hunters. You'll stay" he said firmly, and she bit her lip, annoyed.

"Don't worry. He just wants to talk to her. I'll be back in one day, tops." he sat next to her and kissed her on the cheek, trying to brush off her concern.


	18. Captive

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ressler goes to Italy to help Tom, and they end up Gwen's prisoner. Meanwhile, Liz tries everything to bring her man back.

It had been three days since he left to help Tom in Italy. Something he said it would take 1 day. Now it's been three. Liz couldn't really hide her concern while working in the office. To make matters worse, she couldn't really talk about it to Cooper, as Don had taken a few days off to go.

"Hey Liz. Don't worry, I bet they are bonding in some cantina." said Samar," then laughing at her own impossible joke. Liz knew that two things didn't add up: 1 - Donald would call, he always called. He had called when he arrived in Italy and then called when it was night there. Since that, no more calls. It was strange. 2 - If it was over, he would come back home. He wouldn't leave her alone more than necessary, specially not to hang out with Tom.

"I think I'll go there. Ask around"

"Are you crazy, Liz? Look at you! You are in no conditions to play detective, specially if they are in trouble"

"So you do agree that they might be in trouble?" She said, really concerned now. Samar regretted saying that.

"Look, don't worry. it will all be fine.

Don grunted as he woke up and realized he was still in the same place. His hands were tied with a rope attached to the wall by a chain, and it had been days since he had a decent meal. 2 days, to be correct. He looked at the man next to him, still sleeping. There wasn't much to do in that place besides begging for help, or sleeping, and last night they surrended to tiredness.

"Tom, wake up" he said, kicking him gently on the leg. He woke up startled and then took a moment to remember where he was. A few minutes later, they heard steps outside and a plate of something that resembled food came into the room from an opening on the door. It was hard to eat without your hands, but Don was so hungry he was considering eating it by throwing himself at the plate like a dog. He reached it with his food and tried to bring it closer, but the plate rolled over, all the food going to the dirty floor.

"Dammit!" he cursed, and then took a deep breath, accepting the fact that they would stay without food for another day. "How are we getting out of here?" he looked worried to Tom, who was already pissed.

"Gwen! Gwen!" Tom screamed, not knowing if it would result in anything. He stood up and went to the small window, the only source of light in the room, and called for her again. "Goddamit woman, c'mere! let us go or kill us already!"

A few more hours passed until they heard steps again, now clearly steps of a high-heeled shoe. She opened the door slowly and came in the room, stepping back when Tom stood up and went furiously towards her, falling as his hands were caught in the rope.

"Calm down, or I'll go away again."

"For Christ's sake, Gwen. Stop this."

"Did Asher say this when you killed him, Tom?" she said, resenting him. Then she looked at Donald. "You should reconsider your friendships, you know? This one is a worthless piece of shit."

"Oh, you don't have to tell me that. I already know."

She seemed surprised to hear that.

"Let him go, Gwen. He is not guilty of anything. He's my ex-wife's boyfriend. He hates me too. You can share stories about hating me while drinking tea."

"He was helping you. It's reason enough to keep him locked too" she said, and then looked at Donald. He had bruised on his head and torso, and his shirt had been reduced to rags.

"Please, Gwen. Just kill me already. I'm sorry I couldn't keep Asher safe, ok? But if it hadn't been me, it would be someone else. He was involved with dangerous dirty people, it was bound to happen. It was going to, remember, if I hadn't interfered that first time."

"If you hadn't shown up in our lives, he would still be alive!" she screamed, tears in her eyes. Donald understood the woman's grief. She felt guilty for accepting Tom's help, for trusting in him. Because of his wrong doings, Audrey was now dead.

"Please. Can I at least make a phone call? Call my fianceé. Say goodbye" Donald said, on a last attempt to bend Gwen. She pondered for a few seconds, then accepted.

She ordered one of her men to release Donald and took him to a small room with a phone.

"You have 2 minutes. That's it. Then you'll be back to the dungeon."

With that he knew that she had strong motivation, but little experience in abducting people. She remained in front of him, but gave him full access to the phone. He knew exactly who to call.

"Agent Mojtabai?" said the man on the other line, to what Don pretended it was Liz, to fool the woman in front of him.

"Liz, honey. it's me" he said, and Aram was confused.

"Agent Ressler? this is Aram. What?"

"I know, sweetie. I'm fine. I'm here" it was a sign for Aram to search for his location. He signaled to an agent to call Liz.

"Please, keep talking Agent Ressler."

"How are you, baby? I miss you too" he said, looking at the woman, who was staring at her watch, counting the time. "I don't have much time"

Liz came running and took the phone from Aram, who was really close to pinning a location.

"Don? Donald, where are you?" she said, and Don felt his stomach revolve as he heard her voice. His plan was to call Aram, he didn't think she would be there. Tears came to his eyes as he realised that could be the last time they spoke.

"Gwen found us, Liz. It's over."

"What do you mean it's over? Did you talk to her? are you okay? why don't you come home, Don?"

"I have to go" he said, as Gwen put her finger on the hook, ready to turn it off. "I love you, Liz." and Gwen pressed the button, ending the call.

"Don? Donald?" Liz screamed at the phone, and then ran to Aram. "Do you have a location?"

"Yes. It doesn't look good. it's a very dark and remote location in Milan. I would bet they are in trouble."

"I need to go there." Liz started running towards the elevator when Samar stopped her.

"Liz, you can't go."

"You try and stop me!" she dared, and then shrugged to get rid of her grip.

"Ok. Then let me go with you." Samar said, and both women left.

they arrived at the place and it was a horrible place. Liz cried just thinking what they were going through inside. She and Samar were alone and they could see there were at least 6 men inside. They needed a plan.

When they were observing the place, she saw Gwen leaving the place and then crumbling down at the door, crying, and she knew there was a way through her.

They observed her for another day, and then it was time. They followed her to her apartment, and as she was going in, they took over her.

"Quietly, go inside and sit down." Samar said, her gun touching Gwen's back. They entered the apartment and Samar tied Gwen to an armchair. then she walked around the apartment looking for guns or bugs. Meanwhile, Liz entered the place and went straight to Gwen.

"Do you know who I am?" she said, sitting in front of Gwen and touching her baby bump. Gwen looked at it longingly, and then took a deep breath.

"no. Who are you?"

"My name is Elizabeth Keen. You know my ex-husband" Gwen recognized immediately, and then looked at Samar as she approached and pointed a gun to her.

"Your ex is scumbag"

"I know." Liz said, with a chuckle."You don't have to tell me about Tom's problems. I know them all. Let me tell you a story. His real name is Jacob Phelps, he was hired by a man in my life who wanted to protect me. His orders was to be part of my life, but when we started to get involved, this man fired Jacob, saying that he stepped a line. He was supposed to get out of my life immediately. The thing was that he was already working for someone else. A criminal who was after his first employer, and who knew he could get to him through me. So you see, I was just a little thing that he moved from side to side in his secret agenda.

Anyway, we got married, for 2 years I believed I was married to a teacher, when I found out what he really was. a con man, a murderer, a dangerous person. It nearly killed me, and I felt just like you feel now. maybe worse. He had destroyed my life in so many different ways for a long time I thought I could never have it back.

But look at me now" she touched her baby again, smiling. "I have a good life, good friends, a man who loves me and who I love more than anything. It's possible to start over, Gwen, believe me" Gwen had tears in her eyes, looking at Liz. she even had a faint smile, a smile of hope and wish that it was true.

"The problem is that you are holding my fiance prisioner. He came with Tom, it was stupid, I know. We trusted him again, and now he's about to cause my fiance's death, but only if you order it. Please, I beg you, don't do it. Let them go."

"I need to avenge Asher's death" she said hissing between her teeth. "I need..."

"Why, Gwen? Is this really what Asher would have wanted? To see you involved in this?" Gwen cried, remembering her fiance. He would never want her to get involved in this, even when he was in trouble before, he would always keep her out of it.

"What do I do now?" she whispered, and Liz understood that as a sign that she was giving it up. She kneeled in front of her and touched her arms.

"you can do anything you want. I know it doesn't seem like it, but you do. Think about what Asher would want if he was here. Where were you going in your honeymoon?"

"We were going to Thailand."

"There you go! why don't you go there? See the places you were planning to see together. Try to find some solace in the pain, and remember him alive, not dead. It will be good for you, I promise."

They looked into each other's eyes, and Gwen could see Liz meant it. "Ok, I'll let them go. I just need to call" Liz turned over, but Samar already took Gwen's purse and took her phone from it.

"Who should I call?"

"It's on speed dial. press 2" She did, and then placed the phone on her ear.

"It's me. let them go. No questions, just do what I said. Send them to my apartment. I no longer need your services. goodbye" and then they hung up.

A few minutes later, They arrived at her apartment confused and hurt. Liz ran to Donald, hitting his bruised hip as she hugged him.

"Oh, sorry, Don! Oh my God!"

"No problem, Liz! c'mere" he pulled her on another hug, and they kissed tenderly. "What are you doing here?"

"I came to rescue you!" she said, and then he looked at Samar.

"All I could do is come with her, there was no way to convince her to stay" she smiled at him as he whispered thank you and took her hand. Tom came in after them.

"Ok, I guess I'll have no hug then." he joked, then stopped as everybody looked at him with a judgemental look.

"Tom. Tell me, honestly. Are you really sorry about what happened to Asher?" Gwen asked, and Tom took her hands, looking deep into her eyes.

"I promised you I would keep him safe, and I couldn't. I didn't want to kill him, Gwen, we ended up in a bad situation. He was willing to kill me, and to be honest I thought he would. We were trying to survive, and I was stronger. I wish I could have saved him, I'm sorry.

She took a deep breath, and then said. "Then you're coming with me. I'm going to Thailand, we were supposed to go there for our honeymoon. I want you there with me. it's my price for letting you go. After that you can do what you want, but I need you to help me with this."

Tom looked around, and then looked back at her, confused but willing to help. "Anything you want, Gwen. I'll go with you."

She had a faint smile, and then turned to the rest of the party.

"You can go now. I'm sorry for what I did to you."

Donald hugged Liz and smiled at her "I hope you find peace, Gwen"

"Me too" she answered, and then went to her bedroom.

"Ok then. I guess I'm going to stay" Tom said, sitting on the couch and then touching his bruises. He had a lot more than Don.

"We're going home. Hope everything works out, Tom" Liz said, and then she, Donald and Samar left.


	19. Dreams

He woke up on his desk again, startled, a piece of paper stuck to his forehead. He rubs his eyes to try to wake up and understand the situation.

He looks around to see that he's in the office, and the war room is empty and quiet. He looks at his watch to find out it is 3:30am. One more time he had stayed late and lost track of time.

He puts a hand through his hair and then sits back, yawns and stretches his arms while looking to his left. Her picture stares back at him. Serious, away, all his leads around her. But something is different. There's something written on the photo, a red blur across her face. He stands up and comes closer to see it. His heart skips a beat as he finally realizes what's written.

"Deceased"

What? When did that happen? He starts ruffling through his papers, trying to find one that will explain that. Nothing. He sits down and closes his eyes, trying to remember the dream he was having. They were together. It was all over, they were living together. She had his ring on her finger, and his child in her belly. They were happy. Was that all a dream?

He turns on the tv and zaps through the channels until he finds a news channel, and sees her face again, with the message "Elizabeth Keen, terrorist, dead by the FBI" and the reporter talking things that didn't make sense.

She had taken hostages in a bank with Reddington, and as she killed one of the hostages the FBI and swat team broke into the building and brought her down. Reddington had been arrested. He was taken aback by her death, crying over her body, and screaming.

"Why? Why kill her? Why, Donald, why?"

And then he saw himself in the video. Serious, gun at hand, looking down at them, at his latest kill.

His heart froze as he dropped the remote, shocked.

"I killed her?"

He was feeling difficulty to breathe and had to sit down before he lost conscience. What happened?

Then he remembered. Remembered her coming towards him, as the swat team invaded the bank, and a swat member grabbing her arm as she ran, and she struggled to get off him, screaming his name.

"Donald! It's a set up! Solomon! The cabal was here! Please!" But he just blindly pointed the gun at her head.

"I don't believe you" he said, a low and robot voice coming from his mouth. And as she cried and whispered "I love you" he just shot her in the head.

The memory took over him and he fell from the table where he was sitting straight to...

Straight to a bed.

He woke up with a scream, his scream. He was sweating and shivering at the same time, his body shaking with fear of the dream.

She was right next to him, her belly so big it was hard for her to find a good position to sleep. She held him close and placed his head on her neck and she soothed him.

"Shh. Hey, it's okay. It was a dream. Just a dream"

"I killed her... I... Liz" he was babbling, still not sure he was awake. He started to cry as she tried to convince him she was right there.

"It was a nightmare, babe, it's over. I'm here."

A few minutes passed until he was calm enough to understand he was now awake, and he sat up and looked at her, tears still in his eyes.

"Liz? Liz, I... It was a nightmare. I was back to hunting you, and you took over hostages. You tried to warn me, but I didn't believe you. I shot you, in the head, I..."

"It will be alright, Don. I'm here. I'm not going anywhere," she took his head on her hands and got closer, kissing his lips passionately. He was still breathing heavily from the scare as he kissed her back, holding her face, his tongue furiously trailing her mouth.

They both tilted back to lie on their sides, face to face, and he placed his hand on her belly, and finally he calmed down and opened a smile.

"I guess this here is so much like a dream that my dream felt too real."

She chuckled and kissed his forehead as he moved to place his ear on her belly.

"You see, baby? You're a dream!" He said, and then kissed her belly, resting his head on it as she put her fingers through his hair.

"She's coming, don," Liz said, and he moved to lay his head on his pillow and look at her "I'm nervous! What are we going to do? Oh my God! we need to set her nursery! We don't have anything yet, except the presents the people gave us. We are so bad at this!"

It was his turn to calm her down, but he couldn't hide a chuckle as he took her head on his hand so she would look at him.

"Hey, calm down! there's still time. You're 7 months pregnant. We can built a nursery in 2 months."

"She can come any day now! Have you never heard of premature babies?"

"Ok Liz, just because some babies come earlier doesn't mean our baby will. What if tomorrow we went to the stores to look at things, Mm? What do we need? a crib, a stroller, a car seat, what else?"

She sat up and started thinking about it, counting up the things on her fingers.

"We need furniture, linen, blankets, a changer, and clothes, lots of clothes. and dippers."

"Wow, ok." Donald was a bit baffled with the amount of stuff they would have to buy. It was true they had spoken very little about it, and now they were in the nick of time and had to buy everything altogether. He tried to think about his finances to see if it would fit.

"Do you want to take it slow? You do, right" she said, and he shushed her.

"Let's go to the stores tomorrow. We can see the prices and choose the best ones. We can paint the extra room and get it ready for when the things arrive."

"Are we really going to try to paint the walls again? It didn't really work last time" she remembered their running around painting each other's faces instead of focusing on the walls.

"I loved that day. It was so productive" he grinned and placed a kiss on her lips, and then went back to thinking. "Okay, maybe hire someone to paint the walls, oh God, Liz, can't we at least try? I think if we don't get a pattern on the wall it isn't that difficult."

"Are you worried about money?" she asked, bluntly, and he made a face knowing that it was a terrible matter to talk about when considering their child's arrival.

"Don't get me wrong, Liz, but I am worried about the hospital bills, and all the other things, I don't know, I think we can save some money on the walls, that's all."

"I can talk to Red, if you want," she suggested, and then immediately regretted as he looked at her perplexed.

"No way will Raymond Reddington finance my daughter's life!" he said, and although he seemed a bit upset, it was nice to hear him saying "my daughter". she caressed her belly and then snuggled into him, placing her head on the crook of his neck.

"Can we talk about it tomorrow? I'm so tired." He placed his arms around her, taking her in close and kissing the back of her neck.

"Sure, babe." he held her tightly, scared his dream would come back the minute he closed his eyes, but with them in his arms, no nightmare had a chance. He fell asleep and they both slept holding each other all night.

A few days later, the nursery started to take shape. They were able to paint the walls, and they chose a lavender tone that wasn't very girly, but girly enough. The furniture and crib were white, so it contrasted well with the walls, and it was a calming setting. Liz got some clothes and it was adorable to fold and look at those tiny pieces as she organized them in the drawers of the dresser/changer. Next to the crib, a big armchair took most of the space, but it was special.

"It was your mother's. I recovered it from the fire and rebuilt it exactly as it used to be. She had it on her bedroom, but she told me it used to be in your bedroom, as she sat there when holding you at night, or breastfeeding." Red said when he brought in the chair. As Donald totally forbade him of buying anything for the room, he asked to at least include this into the decoration. Liz loved it. She faintly remembered that chair, and her mother sitting on it, and wished more than ever to hold her baby while sitting there. She could hardly wait to have her in her arms.

"I would like to buy her a frame, to put on the door, with her name" Reddington offered, waving his hand as Donald protested. "it's just a name tag, Donald, don't start. Have you decided on a name yet?"

Liz had thought a lot about that, since they had that small conversation. She wanted a name that was powerful, and yet could be shortened, just like hers. She thought about Donald's suggestion, and even though she had mocked at first, now it seemed the best option.

"Olive. she will be Olive" she looked at him and he showed signs he remembered that conversation. He opened a smile, approving the name. So did Red.

"Little Liv. I like it. I'll have it done and bring it to you as soon as it's ready. It will be perfect for when Liv comes."

She already loved her so much, Liv. It was bringing her so much happiness it was hard to contain. She felt some tears fall out as Red was about to leave.

"Lizzie, what's wrong?" he held her in her arms, and she chuckled, letting a few more tears come off.

"Do you remember when we were on the run, how I thought I would never be able to be happy again? You kept telling me I was going to have my life back, and I couldn't believe you. You were right, Red. Thank you!" she placed a kiss on his cheek as he looked at her with fatherly eyes.

"You'll have your dream, Lizzie. Soon you and Donald and Liv will walk together in the park, and you will hold her hand and never let go," she smiled at him, remembered the circumstances as she told him about this dream. They were going to use the services of the Djinn, and when the woman asked her deepest wish, she was unable to answer. She didn't know then. It was all that. Her baby, her family, Donald. In the end, she didn't need the Djinn, she conquered it herself.

Red went away and she went back to the nursery, where Donald was trying to build a doll's house. He was clearly upset with the thing.

"What do you mean part A matches with part D? it's impossible! IMPOSSIBLE!" he screamed at the instructions paper, and she laughed as she kneeled next to him, took the pieces from his hand and kissed him deeply, taking them both to lie on the carpeted floor.

"What was that for?" he said, holding her as she slid to his side, her belly too big to allow her to stay on top of him.

"Because I'm happy. that's all" he smiled and then kissed her again, holding her close.

"I'm happy too, babe."


	20. Olive Katherine Ressler

Olive came on a Tuesday. Liz was already enjoying her maternity leave at home when her water broke. For a first time mom, she was very much in control of the situation. She called Eliza next door and both women went to the hospital. Arriving there, she was taken to a room and then all they had to do was wait for the right time.

Don wasn't as controlled. He invaded the hospital screaming at the nurse, after speeding and passing a few red lights.

"Calm down, sir" the tiny nurse was saying to him, but he was about to hyperventilate. "Here, I'll take you to her"

When he entered the room and saw the women chatting, he was almost disappointed.

"What do you mean you leave me a message saying "Don, honey, my water broke, I'll be at the hospital, ok?" As if we were talking about shopping, Liz?"

They both look at him and then burst out laughing as he observe puzzled.

"I'm alright, honey. Eliza brought me here, and we're waiting"

"Waiting for what?"

"We need to wait for the contractions to become less spaced, Donald" Eliza explained. "C'mon here, you can help me keep the time between them"

He approached them and sat next to Liz on the bed, giving her a kiss.

"Are you okay, babe?" He asked, serious, looking into her eyes. She chuckled.

"Yes, honey, I am."

It took a few more hours until it was time. Liz was super nervous but in the end it was easier than she had thought. Of course, an epidural helps a lot. And having Donald next to her at all times, even when she squeezed his hand so tightly that he started screaming louder than she was.

When it was all over, and they heard the cry of their newborn baby, ir was all worth it.

Olive was a petit and delicate baby, and when she opened her tiny eyes they were surprised to see that they were green, in a tone that was almost... olive.

"The perfect name" Liz whispered to Don, who had tears in his eyes.

"I love you." He said, placing a kiss on Liz's forehead and then carefully kissing Liv's head.

They didn't stay long at the hospital, and most visits happened when they were already home. Liz loved that everybody was excited to meet the baby, but to be honest she was exhausted and just wanted some time alone with her family.

Finally, after nearly a month, they had a night for themselves.

Olive was very calm, and cried just the usual frequency for a 1 month old, but Liz already missed her sleep. The baby finally setttle down it was near midnight, and she just crashed onto the bed.

"Liz, honey, are you okay?"

"Yes, sure, pitching " she said, her voice muffled on the pillow. She turned her head to look at Donald. He chuckled.

"Our girl has been giving you a hard time, hasn't she?" Liz grunted.

"Not really. I mean, I guess it's normal in the first few months. I'm just... Ugh, I haven't had any real sleep in weeks, and I'll be back to work next week. I can't see how I'm going to handle."

"I'm sure you can handle it,babe. But you could also ask Cooper for a few more weeks"

"No. I guess doing something else will help me relax. All I talk about these days are diapers and baby stuff" she laughed. It sounded like a complaint, but she really liked it. Being a mom was everything she had ever wanted.

Don closed the book he was reading, and then laid down next to her, his face towards her, their noses touching.

"You're a great mom, Liz" she smiled.

"And you're a great dad. Thanks, you've been really helpful." There wasn't much he could do. The baby mostly cried because of hunger, and that had to be Liz, but he tried to help with what he could. Mostly, he tried to help her relax while she was working with Liv. From massages on her foot while she was breastfeeding to cups of tea or snacks when the girl just wouldn't sleep.

She put her hand up to caress his forehead, and he did the same, tucking her hair behind her ear. She closed her eyes to feel his touch. It had been a long time since they had had some time alone.

He leaned slowly an brushed his lips on hers, enjoying it slowly as she used the tip of her tongue to wet his lips before kissing it fully, her hand behind his back pulling him closer. She slowly opened her mouth, asking him to deepen the kiss while his hand explored under her shirt.

She moved to turn them over and straddle him when they heard crying coming from the baby monitor.

"Uhg" liz grunted, burying her head in his chest as they both laughed.

"Do you want me to go?" He asked, fixing her hair as she blew a lock out of her face.

"Nah. She's probably hungry. It's time." She got off him and stood up, but he held her hand before she went away to Olive's room.

"I love you, Liz" he said. She whispered, and then bent down to give him a wet kiss.

She loved that he would randomly tell her he loved her, and it would always be exactly when she needed.

When she came back to bed, she was so tired she was glad he was already sleeping. She slipped under the covers and snuggled against him, and he instinctively put his arms around her. She felt immediately asleep, knowing that her daughter would need her soon.

xxx-xxxx

Six months later, baby Olive was big and the cutest thing in the world, and Liz was presented by Red with an all planned wedding at the Plaza. Deep inside she wanted to have planned everything, and she would have definitely chosen a more intimate place, but it was all beautiful and thoughtful that she accepted anyway.

It was one week for the wedding, and Liz was already intimate with the wedding planner, Lauren, and took over the preparations. She cancelled the ice sculpture Red thought it was so necessary to have, decided on the flowers and the colors of the wedding, and called her old friend Mary from college to be her maid of honor. She felt a bit down when she hung up with Mary, who was coming from Los Angeles and wouldn't be here to help so much, but accepted anyway. She didn't have that many friends. She had Samar, but they weren't close enough for her to name her maid of honor. She realised that after she married Tom, they became this enclosed unity and she cut off most of her friends. She decided to invite them all, hoping that some would come for her to have a second chance.

Back to the wedding plans, they decided on a red velvet layered cake and Red insisted on a big dinner menu, and for this she didn't complain. It was great to see him so involved in her wedding, like a father she didn't have anymore. She thought about Sam and how happy he would have been if he was here.

She thought a lot about it and then at night went to Red's house. He was drinking whisky in front of a lit fireplace, the only source of light.

"Lizzie, is everything okay?" he asked as she entered the house, opened by his butler.

"Yes, sure. I wanted to talk to you, is it okay?"

"Of course, my dear. C'mon sit here with me." she sat next to him and felt the warmth of the fireplace on her cold skin coming from outside. It was October, and the cold autumn wind was already becoming stronger. She took of her jacket and thanked when Jonah brought her a glass of wine.

"So, I wanted to thank you again for the wedding"

"No need, Lizzie. It's my pleasure. Has Lauren been good to you?"

"Yes, she's great. We're going to see wedding dresses tomorrow."

"I bet you're going to look great on a wedding dress, Lizzie. I remember your dress when you married Tom was quite simple, wasn't it?"

"I liked it!" she said, perplexed at his attitude. When she married Tom, they didn't have that much money so her dress was just a simple white dress.

"Anyway. This time you'll look like a princess. I'll see to that"

"Yes. About that..." she was talking about his involvement in the wedding. It wasn't a cheap wedding and he was paying for everything. "I'll never be able to pay you back for this, Red"

He chuckled, and then bent down to take her hands on his. "Lizzie, you don't have to pay me back a dime. Consider it my wedding present, and a compensation for what I did to Sam. Don't they say that the bride's family pays for the wedding? Let me be your family."

"Will you give me away?" she asked, and he sat back, shocked. He wasn't expecting her to ask him that. Tears came flowing on the man's eyes, and Liz smiled. She never thought she would see him cry, and was proud to have been the reason, in a good way.

"Lizzie, I... don't know what to say." he wiped the tears, and smiled, feeling silly. "Of course I will, my dear, it will be an honor" She smiled, feeling the emotions herself.

"Thank you" she said, already crying, and then they both stood up and hugged, a long and warm hug.

"Oh, Lizzie. I love you so much." he said to her ear, and then placed a kiss on her cheek. "And I'm so proud of you. You and Donald have created a great life." She smiled, and then they sat together on the couch, and she placed her head on his shoulder as he had his arm around her, snuggling her closer. They stayed like this for a long time.

xxxxxxxxx-xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Right now she was trying wedding dresses with Lauren, as Red took care of Liv.

She just observed as the man played and laughed at Olive's giggles. Never would have she believed if someone told her a few years ago that she would be planning her wedding with Donald Ressler at the Plaza, and Raymond Reddington would be taking care of her daughter.

She got distracted observing them and was pulled back into reality by Lauren clicking her fingers in front of her. She was a small woman in her forties, very demanding and a bit scary at times, but with a good heart.

"Lizzie, darling, pay attention, will ya? What do you think of this one?"

It was the 6th dress she tried, and she could see Lauren was a bit annoyed. She looked at herself in the mirror and noticed she hated all the details she had previously loved it when she saw it on the rack.

"No, right?" Lauren guessed, and Liz gave her an apologetic smile. The woman buffed and then waved her away.

"Ok. I'll go grab a few more options" she said, and Liz went back to the fitting room, not without first going to kiss her baby.

In the fitting room, Liz looked at the other 5 discarted dresses and laughed at how silly she was acting. That was Don. She would marry him in her pyjamas if she had to. She picked up the very first dress she tried and put it on again. Being a very indecisive person, she didn't want to believe she had found the one on her first try. Well, she hadn't done that with husbands, why would it happen with a dress? But it had, and that was the one.

She placed the veil on her head and left the room, finding a stunned Lauren, carrying a few more dresses, and Red, whose eyes sparkled as soon as they were laid on her.

"Lizzie, you look beautiful"

"Isn't this the first one?" Lauren said dropping the ones she was carrying to the floor.

"Oh, I'm sorry, Laur, but yes, this is the one."

"Don't worry darling. I've had worse. Once the bride of a gangster wanted to try every single dress in the store, only to call the wedding off after it" they both laughed, and Liz looked at herself in the mirror. It was happening. There in front of her lied Mrs. Ressler.

She moved to pick Olive when Lauren shouted.

"No! What if she does anything to the dress?" She said, clearly not a baby person. Liz rolled her eyes and then moved back to the fitting room to change out of the dress.


	21. The night before

It was one day to the wedding, and they spent the whole day in the hotel solving the last details. Olive was back home with Eliza so Red offered to pay for a room so they could stay there for the night.

He came back from the front desk with two keys.

"Here. You can go get some rest now" he said, nonchalantly. Liz giggled.

"Why two keys, Red? Isn't one yours?"

"Oh no, my dear. I already have mine, I've been staying here for the last week. These two rooms are for you and Donald"

"You know we live together, right? We have a daughter." She raised her eyebrows and tried to give him back one key, but he refused it.

"Lizzy, you're getting married tomorrow. I don't care about your current status, I feel we should respect the sanctity of the marriage, so you and Donald are spending the night apart. See this as a test, see how much you miss each other because after tomorrow, there is no turning back."

She turned around as Ressler approached and held her by the waist.

"what did I miss?" She handed him one card key.

"Red wants us to sleep apart tonight."

"What?" He frowned, and then laughed, "this is a joke, right?"

"No. I mean it. And to ensure it I'll escort you to your room, Lizzy, and Dembe here will accompany your groom. And keep guard at the door"

They both looked at Red stunned and shocked. He did take Liz to her room, and it was a big room with a big kingsized bed that she immediately found a waste since she was using it alone. She got ready for bed and then Red left her with a chaste and fatherly kiss on her cheek.

"I'll come and get you in the morning for your day, Lizzy. You'll have a spa day before getting dressed, with massage and skin treatment and everything. See you tomorrow"

She rolled her eyes to Red's ostentations, and smirked as he closed the door. Alone in that room, she realized how much she already missed Donald. She sighed and then crawled under the sheets, hugging one of the pillows and thinking about her man.

She was sound asleep when she heard a weird noise coming from the window. It woke her up and her FBI instincts acted, when she remembered she was on the 10th floor, so it was impossible to be someone trying to enter. She tried to come back to sleep when a knocking sound came from the window.

She rolled on the bed confused, and looked at window to see the shape of a person. She screamed and nearly fell off the bed when he whispered.

"Shh, Liz, it's me!"

"Don? But..." She got out of bed and rushed to open the window, which was more like a glass door to a balcony. There he was.

Questions of how he got there disappeared momentarily as he took her on a passionate kiss, taking her breath away. She jumped and tangled her legs around him as he hoisted her up and took her to bed, laying her over the sheets, never breaking the kiss.

She started laughing on his mouth and then had an uncontrollable laugh attack. He laid beside her, holding her by the hip as she turned to her side and tangled her legs on his.

"What?" He was laughing too. She couldn't stop laughing.

"Did...you...climbed out the window?" He nodded and she covered her mouth with her hands, laughing even more.

"Dembe was like a statue at my door, I tried to get out twice and he wouldn't let me! I had no alternative!"

"Donald! Are you crazy? You could've died!" She slapped him on the chest and he rolled them so he would be on top of her.

"I would die if I had to spend the night without you" she stopped laughing and pouted at him.

"Aww, babe! I missed you too" he went down and kissed her, and there was no more laughing. She pulled his shirt out of him as he explored under her baby doll and it only took seconds for them to be completely undressed. He was kissing all over her body and she panted and moaned in reaction to his touch.

"We are... So... Going to hell..." She whispered when he went back up and was kissing her neck. He laughed and then kissed her on the mouth as they made love.

Hours later, as they laid naked in bed, sated and happy, looking at the ceiling, her head resting on his chest as he brushed his fingers on her hair, while the other hand played with her fingers.

"Red just have to understand he can't stop us!" He chanted, victorious, and she giggled and rolled to lay on her stomach, looking up at him.

"I mean I get it, what just happened was honeymoon material, Donald. He wanted to be traditional."

"Are you sorry?" she smiled a mischievous smiled.

"Of course not." And bit his arm, making him squirm.

She yawned, clearly tired, and he placed a hand on her cheek, using his thumb to stroke her. "You're tired, babe? I'd better go back to my room."

"No! You're not climbing out there again!"

"Liz, if Red comes in the morning and finds me here we're in trouble!"

"I don't care! You're not doing that again, you crazy! Besides, I sleep better with you here"

"Awwn" he took her in as she laid her head on his shoulder, cuddling in the crook of his neck.

"Besides, Red wants me to go to a whole spa thing to relax for the wedding, but little does he know that all I need to relax is you in the morning." He laughed out loud.

"So you're just keeping me here so you'll have morning sex?" He was now stroking his fingers on her head, making her relax, and she was on the verge of sleeping.

"U-hum" she hummed, and then fell asleep immediately. He moved to adjust to a comfortable position with her on his arm, and then fell asleep himself.

Early morning she woke him up with kisses.

"Happy wedding day, groom" she smiled and then placed a chaste kiss on his lips.

He stretched and held her hip as she straddled him and bent down to kiss his face again.

"Happy wedding day, bride" he laughed as she placed small kisses all over his face, and moved his hand up and down her sides when her mouth found his, and they kissed intensively.

Things were heating up when they heard the noise of a key card opening the door, and both rolled out of the bed, falling on the floor with a thud.

"Ouch!" She complained as they hit the carpet and they hid there as they heard Red coming into the room.

"Lizzy! Rise and shine, it's your day!"

Thank god the bedroom was separated from the rest of the room by a door, so Red didn't see immediately that Donald was there. They took some time untangling the sheets from them as they tried to stand up and she looked desperately for her pajamas that were somewhere on the floor. She let out a scream when they heard Red approaching the bedroom door as she put on her baby doll and Don found his pants and shirt, and she pushed him quickly to the bathroom.

"Hey, hey!" He whispered as she shoved him into the bathroom and was about to close the door.

"What?" She whispered back, and he stole a kiss from her. She laughed and kissed him again.

"Stop!" She pushed him with a palm on his chest, more like feeling him rather than pushing him away. Red was about to open the double doors to the bedroom when he grabbed her wrist and pulled her again for a kiss, and then ran inside the bathroom as she turned around and jumped startled with the sound of the door shutting and the double door being opened at the same second.

"Are you okay, Lizzy?" Red measured the mess of sheets on the floor, the bed extremely messy and a nonchalant Liz trying to fix her messy hair as she moved towards him.

"Yeah, I was... I was in the bathroom and the door slipped shut, that's all"

Reddington squinted, suspicious, but then changed the subject.

C'mon, I've brought you breakfast. Red fruits and yoghurt, you don't want to exaggerate on the food today."

"Sure! Sounds nice" she glanced at the bathroom door once more before leaving the bedroom and going towards the counter on the little kitchen by the door of the room.

She ate listening attentively to any noise that might come from the bathroom as Red went on and on telling stories of weddings of people he knew.

"you never told me about your wedding, Red," she commented, not sure where that came from. He looked down, a bit upset.

"Oh, sorry, I didn't mean to." She apologized, but he stroke a hand on her shoulder, signaling that it was okay.

"It was a much simpler wedding. I wanted to have a big wedding like this one, but Carla, she denied it. She begged for a simple wedding, so I had to comply. My plan was to give my daughter a wedding like this, so thank you for allowing me to give it to you" she smiled at Red, and he sighed. She moved out of the stool and placed a kiss on his cheek. He wiped the tears from under his spectacles and then changed the subject.

"well, are you ready? Your day is about to start with a full body massage. Let's go?"

"Hum...erm... Lemme just, hum... I need to use the bathroom." She moved quickly into the bedroom, leaving him confused by the living room. She entered the bathroom and saw Don sitting on the toilet wearing just his pants. The danger of the situation and the sight of his bare chest turned her on, and she loved it. He stood up and moved straight to her as she closed the door, pinning her on it and capturing her lips on his. She pulled him close and moved her hands on his back as he took her head between his hands, sinking his fingers on her hair.

She grunted as he pulled apart, taking a deep breath to recover as he fixed her hair behind her ear, their eyes fixed on each other's.

"I...have to go." She whispered, and in reply he kissed her with open eyes, observing as she melted. "Don..." She cried, trying to push him away, but only pulling him close instead.

"We'll never make it to the aisle" she laughed, and he put his forehead against hers, laughing too.

"Red's waiting. Give it five minutes after we leave and then you can go, he'll never know."

"Will I see you again later?" He asked, his piercing eyes on hers making her heart swell.

"Well, sure. I'll be the one in white" the both grinned, and then he kissed her, a sweet and slow kiss.

"I love you, Liz." He whispered as they broke apart, and she leaned again to give him a quick kiss before opening the door.

"I love you too" she smiled, and then turned to get out of the bathroom, grinning like an infatuated teenager as she reached for her robe and went away to meet Red.

The rest of the day went by marvelously well, the spa day Red gave her was amazing, but she spent the day checking on her phone for messages from Don and Eliza with updates on Olive. The time came for her to get her hair and make up done and then step into her dress, and when she finally saw herself ready as a bride, she gasped and teared up.

Eliza was there with Olive, her baby daughter wearing a lovely pink dress with a matching hat, and her friends from college wearing a lavender dress Red had chosen for the bridesmaids.

"Oh, Liz! Look at you!" Her friend Susan exclaimed, standing up next to her to help her adjust the veil around her shoulders. "I mean, I know you got married before, but this doesn't compare"

"I know why, Suz" she glanced at herself on the mirror and smirked "this time I'm marrying the love of my life. This glow is how happy I am!" Her friends giggled and she turned around to pick Olive up.

"Hey, baby! How about we go meet dad, hun?" Olive giggled at the mention of her father, and all the women around her melted with the baby cuteness. She kissed Olive and then gave her back to Eliza.

"I'll go find a place for us on the ballroom, honey. See you later!" The woman squeezed her hand and then went outside, followed by the bridesmaids.

She was alone looking at herself on the mirror when Red came in, neatly dressed in a tuxedo, with his signature fedora hat. He gasped at her sight. She turned around and swirled her skirt as he approached.

"Lizzy, lizzy! you are... Perfect!" She giggled as he reached for her hands and took her into his arms as they waltzed. She rested her head on his shoulder and they swayed with no music, just feeling the moment like father and daughter.

"Are you happy, Lizzy?" He asked, and she smiled.

"Yes, very."

"That's all I need. Let's go, Donald is waiting for you."

And he offered her his arm, she took it and they marched out of the room.

The room was all fuzz with everybody in there talking. Donald was nervously trying to fix his tie as his mother fixed his hair, and he fought her to stop it.

"Oh Donnie, donnie, I'm so proud of you and Liz!"

"Okay, mom, go sit, will ya?" He kissed her cheek as she frowned at him, shocked after he dismissed her so harshly. She raised her eyebrows at him and sat down on the front row as the wedding march announced the bride was coming.

He wasn't still satisfied with his tie, twirling and fumbling with it as the doors opened, but then nothing else mattered. Liz was a vision. She was smiling and everybody looked at her in awe, no more than Donald, who felt his heart sink at the sight of the woman of his dreams walking in towards him.

Red held her firmly but it was clear he was trying not to cry as they walked down the aisle, and slowly Don's breathing adjusted to receive his bride in control of his emotions. As they reached the end of the corridor, Red gave her a kiss on the hand before giving it to Don, and he took her arm on his to finish the way towards the judge.

He was still uncomfortable with his tie, so she just unclasped it and tossed it aside, opening the first button on his shirt. They both laughed as the judge cleared her throat to start the ceremony.

Whatever the judge was saying, it was more like background noise as they looked at each other, focused only on themselves until she called their attention for the vows and the exchange of rings.

They said "I do" and then the woman declared them husband and wife, and they kissed while everybody in the room clapped and cheered.


	22. Let's run away!

"She's finally asleep" Liz comes into the living room, looking exhausted. Olive was about to turn 1, and it was impossible to control her. She touches everything and puts everything into her tiny mouth, and crawls faster than a bullet.

Donald passes her a glass of wine, and she gladly sits besides her husband, takes a sip and rests her head on his shoulder.

"Last time we had some time for us was in our honeymoon" she remembers, and he chuckles, putting his arm around her and gently caressing the side of her body. "how did time go by so fast?"

"It's been only 4 months, Liz."

"I know, but, wow, 4 months! First, our honeymoon gets interrupted and then 4 months go by that we just rush around, barely see our daughter, or each other."

"Well, it's the Cabal."

Right after their wedding, they went to California for their honeymoon, but two days later they are rushed back into the post office because of the Cabal. Solomon breaks out of prison and it's clear that it was Laurel Hitchin's doing, and right after there's a terrorist attack linked to the Cabal. 4 months go by, and they are not even close to getting them.

"Are we on a rut?" she cries out, and he nearly chokes on his wine.

"Liz? what are you saying? We're not on a rut, we're FBI agents. This is the opposite of on a rut!"

She growls "I guess I'm just tired. The Cabal, Hitchin, Solomon, all this, I just want it to end." she rolls around to kneel on the sofa, next to him. "Let's just run away"

"This would solve everything, wouldn't it, babe?" He laughs as she starts to kiss him in the neck, trying to seduce him into the idea. He puts his glass on the coffee table to give her his full attention.

"Ugh, why are you such a boyscout? Why did I marry you again?"

"Because you love me." She snorts and climbs onto his lap, moving her lips from his neck to his cheek until she gets to his mouth, and he pulls her down on a hot and passionate kiss. It all escalates quickly as he lies her down on the sofa, gently lying on top of her while exploring under her shirt. As he slowly goes down, kissing her neck and going to her chest, she starts to laugh.

"Why are you laughing?" he looks at her confused.

"I'm just thinking. What will interrupt us this time? Olive? a call from the office? the Cabal invading our home?" he rolls his eyes and sits up on the couch, upset.

"No! no, no, no, I'm sorry, I'm sorry." she can't stop laughing, as she sits next to him and begins to pull him to her again.

Just as he begins to surrender to her kisses again, they hear the loud crying of their baby. They stop immediately.

"I'll go check on her" she stands up, and he just observes as she goes up the stairs. For a moment, he stops to think about her words. She doesn't want to run, it's just her tiredness talking. He has to admit, though, that he has thought of it himself. The fight against Laurel Hitchin has become annoying and impossible. Without proof, they can't take her down from her post at the white house, and she is constantly challenging them, it seems. It feels like Red knows more than he's been telling them, and he fears she might do something against him, as he is the one with something to accuse her of the death of Reven Wright.

He slowly enters the nursery, and smiles. Liz is holding Olive, swaying to the rhythm of the lullaby playing from the doll. He gently places his hands on her shoulders, trying not to startle her. She rests her head back on his chest, and he places a kiss on her head.

"I love this" he whispers, seeing that Olive was sleeping again on her mother's arms. Liz slowly puts the baby back into the crib, and then turns around, arms around him.

"I love you" he says, and kisses her gently on the lips. There is nothing he wouldn't do to protect that, his family. Running away was not the answer.

They observe as Olive squirms and makes cute noises in her sleep. As he is focusing on their baby, Liz holds his face gently on her palm and kisses him on the cheek.

"I love you so much. I'm sorry," she says. She's been incredibly annoyed with all that has been happened, and somehow the old excited on the run wild Liz returned. She didn't like that Liz. It wasn't the woman she wanted to be for him.

He turns his attention to her, giving her a kiss that makes her insides turn into mush. It was incredible how easily he could do that. They walk together out of Olive's room and into theirs, and as soon as the door closes, they fall into each other's arms.

They are woken up early in the morning by his cellphone vibrating on the nightstand. He picks it up and sees that it is a message from Reddington.

"What is it?" she asks, drowsy.

"Reddington. He want to talk to me before I go to work." her eyes jerk open in surprise.

"What does he want?"

"I don't know," he moves to leave the bed, but she holds his arm and pulls him back.

"Be careful, Donald." she pleads, and he places a gentle kiss on her lips.

"I'll be fine, Liz."

"I know Reddington. If he wants to talk to you out of the post office, is that there's something involving you that he doesn't want the FBI to know. It can only be bad news. Please"

"Ok. I'll call you right after I see him, ok?"

"You'd better!" and she pulls him down for a deep kiss before he leaves the bed.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Meeting Red in his house always feels like walking into a lion's den. It was incredible how Red never lost his threatening pose even after all these years of working together and saving each other's lives. He likes to keep his reputation, even with people he clearly cares about.

"You called?" Donald asks, looking Red in the eyes as the man eats his breakfast.

"Donald! Sit down, have some eggs." He sits, but only pours himself some coffee. The criminal shruggs and goes back to his eggs benedict.

"Do you have anything to tell me or you just called me here to watch you eat?" Red chuckles. He admires so much Donald's snarky comments and impatience. It reminds him a lot of himself.

"I called you here to warn you, Donald. I guess this may sound as a surprise to you, or not, I don't know, but I have infiltrated the Cabal after Peter's demisse." Donald raises an eybrow, surprised but not really. "This way I have been able to observe Laurel's movements up close and also get inside the mind of those above her in the ranks. Not important for you to know about them now" he dismissed as Donald seemed to tell him off for not telling this to the FBI. "What is important, though, is that she has been quite obsessed with something lately and it took me sometime to understand what it was, until she told me one name. Tommy Markin"

He immediately stops and looks at Red, who understands the connection. "Apparently Reven Wright said this name to her before dying, and this is how you found out about her connection to the Cabal, wasn't it?"

"You know about Tommy Markin?" he asks, curious as Red seems to know everything, but the man responsible for his father's death? How could he know?

"My knowledge of Tommy Markin and what he did with his father might go beyond what you consider acceptable, Donald, but it's time. She is obsessed and that may lead directly to you, Liz, and baby Olive. We need to work on this, now."


	23. Calling Agent Ressler

For the next few weeks, they were so often in the post office that they barely saw their house. Olive would stay home with a nanny, Barbara, who was actually an FBI junior agent with special training for children. She would come to the office sometimes so Liz and Don could see their daughter.

Today, after Barbara and Olive went home, they remained in the little room where they have the visit, trying to run away from the hectic routine in the war room.

"She's groing up so fast" Liz clicked her tongue, clearly upset for missing so many important moments in her daughter's life. She still made a lot of effort to stay with her, but she knew that it wasn't enough.

Donald put his arm around his wife, pulling her closer, also upset. He dreaded the idea of being one of those dads that barely spend time with their daughters, and who they usually fear and know only as "Father!" Olive calls him daddy, and he wants to keep this. He remembers some of the stories Liz told him about her relationship with Sam, and that's the relationship he wants to have with Liv. This, combined with all the knowledge of moral and rightfulness that he had from his father, in the brief time they lived together. More and more Donald missed him, he would have been a great grandfather. Now, all their daughter had as a grandpa was Raymond Reddington.

"We should have another baby," he blurts out, and a milissecond later realises that it was a wild idea. Not so bad, nevertheless.

"What?" she pulls away to face him.

"When all this is over. We should have another baby. Liv is growing up so fast and it would be good for her to have a sibling. Besides, we could step out of the task force when the baby is born, and spend time with them both, time we're not spending now. What do you think?"

He saw light coming out of Liz's eyes, a light that he loved so much. She opened a smile, clearly loving the idea.

"Are you sure?"

"I've always wanted a big family. We could adopt, if you want. I know it's something you've always wanted to do"

She suddently grabs his head between her palms and gives him a passionate kiss. He's taken by surprise, but then adjusts and puts his hands on her back. The kiss is mixed with laughing and tears.

"Yes! I want that! So much! Oh, God! I love you, Donald!"

"I love you too"

xxxxxxxxxx-xxx-xxxx

The day went by so quickly inside that darkened windowless room that they were all surprised when Aram announced it was 8 o'clock. It had been a very unproductive day, and Cooper called it as soon as the tired grunts and groans finished.

"Let's all go home, folks. We need time to rest and think otherwise we'll get nowhere. Have a good night" and the man went back to his office. He knew everyone was stil wondering if he was sleeping in there. In fact, he was. He looked at some apartments, but they were all wrong. None of them included Charlene.

"He's considering giving her another chance." Aram whispered as they all observed their director going up the stairs. "He's been so miserable, and we stay late and talk sometimes. I told him that sometimes it's important to give it another chance. Mistakes happen" his eyes crossed the room to find Samar's. They all knew what they were talking about. The night she and Donald had didn't even cross their minds anymore.

"Excuse me," one of the security guards that stayed outside interrupted their thoughts, " I got a package for agent...umm... Ressler?" He read in the envelope tag.

Donald immediately stood up from the chair he was sitting by Aram's desk, sticking out his hand for the package.

"That's me. I wasn't expecting anything, though," he looked at the large brown envelope surprised, and was about to get the package from the guard's hands when Liz stopped him.

"Oh, wait! I was. I guess it's for me," she said, casually, causing everyone in the room to frown confused, specially her husband.

She took the envelope from the guard, signed the paper and thanked him before he left, and then turned around to find her friends waiting for an explanation.

"Well, I didn't say anything because it was meant to be a surprise," she reached inside the envelope and removed her new driver's license. "But, yeah, I changed my name."

Everyone smiled at the news, but no one was as surprised as Donald.

"I thought you weren't going to change," he said, reaching for her hands. She approached him to the max tolerated inside the work place, smiling at him.

"I know, but then I thought. I never had a real family name. Elizabeth Scott was a name Sam created, probably to hide me, no one could know me as Masha Rostova. Then, my marriage, well, everyone knows Keen was never a real name. I kept it exactly because of it, and wanted to make it my own, but now..." she reached for Donald's hand and squeezed it. "Now I finally have a real family, with a real name. So I decided to change it. Do you mind?" she asked him, only now thinking that she hadn't considered asking him if it was okay.

"Of course not, Liz! I'm honored." He gave her a quick kiss on the forehead, even though only their friends were now in the war room. "Thank you. I love it"

"So, are we supposed to call you both agent Ressler?' asked Aram, visibly confused. "Isn't it going to be messy?"

They all laughed. "Well, I kept the Keen too, so I suppose you can keep me calling Keen. I'm Elizabeth Ressler Keen."

"Good. Okay. So, what do you think we relax a bit over drinks?" Aram suggested, and everyone agreed to the idea. They all moved towards the elevator, but Donald held Liz's arm to keep her behind.

"I think I'll drop the Keen for now on, Mrs. Ressler." Liz laughed out loud as he whispered it in her ear, holding her close.

"I'd like that, Agent Ressler" she whispered, and then gave him a quick kiss on the lips. They looked at each other and smiled.

"Thank you, Liz. I'd never make you change your name if it wasn't something you wanted to do, but... it means a lot, thanks."

"I love you, Don, I'm yours. A name is just a name. But it's nice to have yours. It means a family, and that's what we have. What I've always wanted."

"What's in a name? that which we call a rose / By any other name would smell as sweet;" He quoted in her ear, to her surprise, as they walked together to the elevator.

"Donald Ressler quoting Shakespeare by memory? That's new."

"You think Red is the only cultured man in the group? I have my surprises."

"Well, I can't wait to find them all" she smiled as they both walked into the big yellow box.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just so you guys know, I'm always taking prompts to write stories for this AU, so if anyone has ideas, please feel free to send me here or on my tumblr!


	24. Strangers at a hotel bar

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The hunt for the cabal takes them to Atlantic City, and they have some time to spare. Liz mentions a decision that could make big changes.

"They are headed to the lobby" said Samar on the earcomms, and then she eyed the team, each at one side of the large hotel bar. Ressler was sitting on the counter, sipping on a glass of water, while Liz sat charmingly on the armchairs across the room. It was a five star hotel, so they were all dressed up for the job, which for now was simply surveillance to confirm suspicions of the money laundry scheme, which could be connected to the Cabal.  
"Tomorrow, they just confirmed," Samar affirmed as she stood up from her table, hiding the mic she was using to listen to the conversation inside her clutch bag. She smiled seductively to the suspect and grazed a finger on the diamond pendant of her necklace as he walked pass her, and he nodded, acknowledging her as a sexy woman on a bar. Luckily, he was too busy to stop and make a move on her.  
"Did you get it, Aram?" She whispered, asking about the photo she had just taken on her false diamond/hidden camera necklace.  
"Got it! I'll send you guys the information soon." Replied the tech agent, "that's it, guys. You're off he hook for now. Enjoy Atlantic city."  
They were going to spend the night at the hotel to hold their covers and then tomorrow they would make the move. For now, it was just another night.  
"Good! I'm exhausted! This dress is killing me," Samar was wearing a sequin blue dress and heels.  
"You look great, babe," Aram said over the comms, and all of them laughed.  
"Oh, I knew this dress choice had to do with you!" She scorned him, and then Aram changed the frequency channel so that he could speak to Samar alone. Ressler took this as permission to remove his earpiece and loosen his tie. He only smirked as he felt someone sitting by his side and placing a hand on his shoulder.  
"Hi!" She said, seductively. He looked at her with the corner of his eye. She was wearing a burgundy long dress with an opening on the side that revealed her legs as she crossed them, pressing the heel of her shoe gently on his calf. "How are you, handsome?"  
He couldn't avoid giggling at her act, turning to see that she was serious on it, licking her lips and basically devouring him with her eyes.  
"What are you doing here? Business or pleasure?" Her feet moved up and down on his leg, while her finger twirled a lock of strain hair on her head. Her short brown hair was up, held tightly with a sparkly pin. He moved to face her, placing a hand on the back of her stool.  
"Isn't life a little bit of both?" He said, causing her to giggle. She bit her lip to avoid laughing as she leaned forward to come closer to him.  
"What do you do?"  
"I could tell you, but I'd have to kill you," he teased, placing a hand on her knee. Liz looked down at his hand, his thumb now making small circles over her bone. She moved her foot further up his calf, grazing her leg on it.  
"Mysterious. I like it. Won't you pay me a drink, Mr.Bond?"  
He lifted a finger, calling for the bartender, who was clearly watching their exchange, and probably thinking they were two strangers flirting. Ressler chuckled at the idea, considering his luck. Not every man could say that they have this kind of interaction with their wives.  
"Whisky, and a gin and tonic for the lady," she smiled at the waiter, who glanced at Ressler and started to prepare the drinks. She couldn't help it, and laughed out loud. He moved a hand to her back and grazed it gently.  
The bartender placed their drinks in front of them and stepped aside, allowing them to return to their banter.  
"I'll be leaving tomorrow," he said, taking a sip of his whisky. "My business in Atlantic city are short."  
"We don't have much time, then," she sipped from her glass and then took her clutch bag from the counter, opened it and took her key card from it. Without taking her eyes from him, she stood up on her heels and went around him, placing the card on the counter and whispering in his ear as she moved her hand from the card to his chest, grazing her fingers on his neck, making him shiver.  
"Hurry!"  
She then walked seductively towards the door, and Ressler looked up at the bartender, who had a sly smile on his face, and gave him a thumbs up. He laughed at the man, gulped his whisky and then moved out of his stool to follow Liz.  
He met her waiting by the elevators, fiddling with her purse and laughing by herself. He approached her from behind and placed a hand on her hip, as she leaned backwards to rest her head on his chest. He whispered in her ear.  
"The bartender will have a story to tell for weeks," she laughed. "But that woman there by the door, if eyes could kill! I guess she noticed my wedding band."  
Liz turned around slowly to see a middle aged woman eyeing them with despise, and laughed out loud.  
"Well, she's right! How dare you do this to your poor, innocent wife?"  
"My wife is anything but innocent, m'am."  
The elevator doors opened, and Liz turned around, opened a smiled and grabbed him by his tie, pulling him towards her while going into the box, not without glancing at the disapproving woman. She was still looking at them.  
Inside the elevator, the role playing was over as he pinned her against the back wall and gave her a hot and passionate kiss.  
"That was...woof," she said, grunting as he kissed her jaw and neck, and she pulled him even closer to her, hands on his neck.  
"I'm not done with you yet," he moved his hand down her legs, touching her thigh through the opening on her dress. She folded her leg up beside him, and he held it up, grabbing her tightly.  
"You'd better not be," their eyes met, and within the heat of the moment, a glimpse of tenderness only passionate lovers have softened it. They smiled.  
"I love you," he said, breathing out.  
"I love you," she replied and gave him a quick kiss on the lips as the elevator doors opened on their floor. They untangled themselves and walked towards their room.  
He used her key card, which was in his pocket, and opened the door. As soon as the door was closed, they were back at it. He pulled her up and carried her towards the bed, gently laying her on the white sheets.  
His hand slid on her back, opening the zipper of her dress, while the other hand removed it from her shoulders. He kissed her from neck to belly button, sliding the dress off her in the process.  
"And people say the fun is over once you're married and have kids," she laughed as he moved up and captured her lips on his, a kiss so hot and intense that made her shiver and lose her mind.  
A few hours later, laying on the bed with the radio on, playing old tunes in the middle of the night, they rested in silence, enjoying each other's company. It all seemed calm, but when Liz started to tap his chest nervously, he knew something was bothering her.  
"She is fine, Liz," he laughed, knowing that she was concerned about Olive.  
"I just miss her, that's all," she confessed. More and more, Liz contemplated the idea of quitting the bureau to stay with her baby girl. Specially after they decided to have another child after the whole Cabal investigation was over, she started to imagine her life without the danger of being an agent, but a full-time mom instead.  
"You're such a mom," he kissed the top of her head and pressed his arm tighter around her shoulders. She responded by placing a kiss on the crook of his neck.  
"What would you say if I became just that?" she tried, biting her nails, nervously.  
"What do you mean?" he frowned, looking at the ceiling.  
"Remember we decided to have another child after this is all over. What if I quit, too?" she moved around and raised her head, supporting herself on her elbows. their eyes met, and as always, said more than words could ever say. He saw that she meant it, she wanted to quit the FBI and be a mother, which he knew was her dream. He couldn't blame her for wanting that, he loved her even more. If it were for him, he wouldn't mind. But her presence in the task force was for a much bigger reason.  
"What about Red? Do you think he would continue the task force if you quit?" He asked, and she took a deep breath. She knew this question would be his first, as it was the one roaming around her head ever since the idea came to her.   
"I don't know. I'd have to talk to him. I mean, I understood his demands in the beginning, but now? He talks to everybody, Samar is there placed by him, we all know. Why would he care so much to have me there? I'd be safe, even, if I stayed home. If that's what he worries about..."  
"I agree, Liz, but you know him, he's unpredictable. We have to talk carefully to him and Cooper before making any decision. Besides, you wouldn't quit before we finish with the Cabal, would you?"  
She shook her head. "no. Specially because I would never feel safe with them still active around me and my family. This has to end, Donald."  
He smiled at her, and then tuck her hair behind her ear before pulling her face closer for a kiss. Then she rested her head on his chest, hugging him tightly as sleep came to her.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> What do you guys think of housewife/Liz? Please, feel free to comment and give ideas. Thank a lot!


End file.
